Prosecutors of the Chernihiv Regional Prosecutor's Office, in accordance with the procedure for special pre-trial investigation, have sent an indictment to the court against the commander of the 35th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 41st Combined Arms Army of the Central Military District of the Russian Armed Forces and two subordinate commanders of battalion tactical groups. They are accused of violating the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder, committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

On the morning of March 16, 2022, the accused, executing a plan developed by the higher military leadership of Russia for encirclement and occupation, issued combat orders to their units to use the Grad multiple rocket launcher system against the civilian population and civilian objects.

At that time, local residents had gathered near the store to purchase food. As a result of the strike, 20 people were killed, and another 28 were injured of varying degrees of severity. The store, multi-apartment residential buildings, and civilian infrastructure were damaged.

There were no military objects near the strike site, indicating a deliberate attack on civilians for the purpose of intimidation and terror. International humanitarian law stipulates that civilian infrastructure and civilian populations cannot be the object of attack.

We remind you that the occupiers were charged in July 2025.

Under the procedural guidance of the Chernihiv Regional Prosecutor's Office, the pre-trial investigation in the criminal proceedings is being conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine in the Chernihiv region.

It is worth noting that assistance in identifying those involved in the war crime of the aggressor state was provided by the NGOs "Truth Hounds" and "Global Rights Compliance," which specialize in documenting war crimes.

Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a lawful manner and established by a guilty verdict of the court.