Ukraine’s Security Service identifies 4 Russian generals who ordered attack on Kharkiv home improvement hypermarket in 2024
Pravda Ukraine
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has gathered evidence implicating Russia’s military command in orchestrating an airstrike on Kharkiv’s civilian infrastructure on 25 May 2024.
Source: SSU; Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office
Details: Russian forces dropped two guided aerial bombs on an Epicentr home improvement hypermarket in the city of Kharkiv.
The Russian attack left 19 local residents dead and 46 others with injuries of varying severity. The hypermarket building and its warehouses were utterly destroyed.
Ukrainian law enforcement has determined that the order to carry out the airstrike on Kharkiv was issued by Colonel-General Alexander Lapin, commander of the Sever (North) group of the Russian Armed Forces.
Following the order, the group’s chief of staff, Lieutenant General Valeriy Solodchuk, organised the preparation of the airstrike plan.
Three more of Lapin’s subordinates were also involved in the planning and execution of the bombardment, namely:
- Lieutenant General Oleg Markovetsky, Commander of the 6th Army of Russia’s Air Force and Air Defence Forces;
- Major General Yuri Podoplelov, Chief of Staff of the 6th Army of the Russian Air Force;
- Colonel Alexei Loboda, Commander of the 47th Bomber Aviation Regiment of the 6th Army of the Russian Air Force.
The Russians deployed Su-34 bombers to carry out the attack, launching three D-30SN UMPB bombs on the Kharkiv hypermarket.
Two of the bombs struck the civilian building, while the third fell near the shopping centre but failed to explode.
Based on the collected evidence, SSU investigators issued notices of suspicion in absentia on all five defendants for violating the laws and customs of war, resulting in the deaths of civilians, committed by a group acting in concert.
The prosecutor’s office said the issue of putting the suspects on the wanted list is currently being decided.
Background: At around 16:00 on 25 May 2024, Russian forces conducted a deliberate large-scale airstrike on the Epicentr hypermarket in the Kyivskyi district of Kharkiv. The attack claimed the lives of 19 people, including two children: a 12-year-old girl and a 17-year-old boy. More than 50 people sustained injuries, including contusions and acute stress reactions.
Support UP or become our patron!