On March 3, 2026, the Security Service of Ukraine served a notice of suspicion to the commander of russian long-range aviation, who on July 8, 2024, coordinated a massive missile attack on Ukraine, during which a cruise missile struck the building of the National Children's Specialized Hospital "Okhmatdyt" in Kyiv.

What is Known About the Suspect

Kuvaldin Sergey Gennadievich (born 26.06.1967) is a citizen of the russian federation, originally from Omsk.

He graduated from the Tambov Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots (1988), the Military Training and Research Center of the Air Force "Air Force Academy" (1998), and the Military Academy of the General Staff of the russian federation (2020).

From July 2020 to July 2024, he served as Chief of Staff and First Deputy Commander of Long-Range Aviation of the russian Aerospace Forces. He is currently the Commander of Long-Range Aviation of the russian Aerospace Forces.

Circumstances of the Crime

No later than July 8, 2024, Kuvaldin received an operational directive from the then Commander of Long-Range Aviation of the russian Armed Forces, Sergei Kobylash, to plan and execute a large-scale missile strike with cruise missiles against specific civilian and critical infrastructure facilities across Ukraine, using pre-determined target coordinates.

On the same day, between 09:00 and 14:00, Kuvaldin coordinated the actions of long-range aviation units through his subordinate headquarters during the missile attack on Ukrainian settlements.

At approximately 10:45 a.m., a Tu-95MS bomber launched an X-101 air-to-ground cruise missile from russian airspace over the Volgograd region. The missile struck the building of the National Children's Specialized Hospital "Okhmatdyt" at 28/1 Vyacheslav Chornovil Street in Kyiv, where hundreds of children, medical staff, and visitors were present at the time.

The X-101 missiles are programmed with predefined coordinates, confirming the targeted nature of the attack on the medical facility.

The attack killed two civilians—a doctor and a relative of a patient. At least 34 people, including nine children, were injured to varying degrees. Several hospital buildings were heavily damaged, and medical equipment critical for treating children with serious illnesses was destroyed.

Suspicion

Kuvaldin was served a notice of suspicion for violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murder, as well as for ordering such actions—under Article 438(2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

This is not the first notice of suspicion served on this general: he was previously charged with organizing a missile attack on Lviv on September 4, 2024, which killed eight people.