The Odesa regional prosecution has submitted an indictment to the court against the commander of the 12th missile brigade of the 58th combined arms army of the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation. This was reported on Thursday, October 9, by regional prosecutor Andriy Swatok.
The enemy brigade commander is accused of violating the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder committed by a group of persons in conspiracy (Part 2 Art. 28, Part 2 Art. 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
According to the investigation, this colonel, on April 29, 2024, following a combat order from the higher military-political leadership of the Russian Federation, issued a command to carry out a missile strike on Odesa.
The target of the attack was one of the most popular recreational zones on the Black Sea coast - the “Health Route.” The strike was carried out using the operational-tactical missile system “Iskander-M” with cluster munitions. The launch occurred from the area of the settlement Novoselivske in the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.
As a result of the attack, 8 civilians were killed, including a 4-year-old girl. Another 23 people sustained injuries of varying degrees of severity.
The missile strike caused destruction and damage to several civilian facilities, including a rented building of one of the universities.
The Russian military command was well aware of the civilian nature of this area, the absence of any military or strategic objects, and understood that the use of cluster munitions in such a location would lead to numerous casualties among the civilian population.
The pre-trial investigation in this criminal proceeding was conducted by the SBU in the Odesa region.
Prosecutors from the Odesa regional prosecution, together with investigators from the SBU in the Odesa region, continue to gather evidence and identify all representatives of the military-political leadership of the Russian Federation and military personnel involved in this war crime, aiming to hold those responsible accountable under Ukrainian and international law.