The Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office has notified two more high-ranking officials of the Russian Armed Forces of suspicion in absentia, whom the investigation considers involved in the missile strike on Odesa on April 23, 2022. At that time, as a result of the attack on a residential building, eight civilians were killed, including a three-month-old baby and her mother. Another 11 people were injured. This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General, according to UNN.
Details
According to the prosecutor's office, the suspicion was notified to the 56-year-old commander of the Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Division and the 45-year-old commander of the Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment.
They were part of the chain of command that ensured the preparation and execution of the missile strike on civilian targets in Odesa. The division commander managed units equipped with Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers—carriers of Kh-101 missiles—and ensured the execution of the criminal order. His subordinate was responsible for the practical preparation of the attack: organization, approval of schedules, and coordination of units involved in the strike,
According to the investigation, on April 23, 2022, heavy bombers took off from the "Engels" airfield in the Saratov region of the Russian Federation. Over the waters of the Caspian Sea, they launched three Kh-101 cruise missiles at Odesa.
One missile hit the 16-story residential building of the "Tiras" residential complex, and another hit the territory of the city cemetery, where a woman was injured. As a result of the attack, eight civilians were killed, including a 3-month-old baby and her mother, and another 11 people were injured.
According to the investigation, the Russian military were aware of the civilian nature of the targets and the possible consequences for the civilian population, yet they ensured the execution of the criminal order. Their actions are qualified as a violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with an intentional attack on the civilian population, committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy,