Court notifies three Russian servicemen of suspicion in shooting of resident of Hostomel in March 2022

According to Ukrinform, the Office of the Prosecutor General stated this on its website.

In March 2022, during the temporary occupation of the settlement of Hostomel in the Bucha district, the commander of an assault company of one of the Russian Airborne Forces units gave his subordinates a knowingly criminal order to shoot a civilian.

"The occupiers stopped an unarmed man on the street who was wearing civilian clothes and was not taking part in hostilities. Carrying out the order, they shot the Ukrainian with automatic weapons. The victim died on the spot from a gunshot wound to the head," the Prosecutor General’s Office stated.

The pre-trial investigation established that the suspects were fully aware of the victim's civilian status.

The commander's actions have been classified under Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of the laws and customs of war combined with intentional murder).

The actions of his subordinates are classified under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (commission of a war crime by a group of persons upon prior conspiracy).

As part of the investigation, a comprehensive set of investigative measures was carried out, including crime scene examinations, forensic medical and molecular genetic examinations, exhumation, analysis of mobile phone data, questioning of witnesses and the victim's representatives, investigative experiments, and identification procedures.

"The intentional killing of a civilian during an international armed conflict is a gross violation of the Geneva Conventions and a war crime," the Prosecutor General's Office emphasized.

Work to document war crimes is ongoing.

As Ukrinform previously reported, in Ukraine a Russian brigade commander was notified of suspicion for using chemical weapons during the assault on Vovchansk.