On February 10, 2026, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) issued a notice of suspicion in absentia to a russian general who ordered the missile strike on the Kyiv TV tower on March 1, 2022. The attack killed five people, including a 12-year-old girl.
What is known about the suspect
Nikolai Nikolayevich Varpakhovich (born May 29, 1970) held the position of commander of the 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Division of the Long-Range Aviation of the russian Aerospace Forces at the rank of Major General at the time of the attack.
He had command over, among others, the 121st Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment (military unit 85927), stationed in Engels, Saratov region, russia. The regiment was equipped with Tu-95MS strategic bombers capable of carrying X-101 cruise missiles.
Circumstances of the attack
No later than March 1, 2022, Varpakhovich received an order from higher command to strike targets in Kyiv. The designated targets were the Kyiv TV tower at 10 Dorohozhytska Street and a land plot between the houses at 48 and 52-A Yuriy Illienko Street.
Varpakhovich relayed the order to the commander of the 121st Heavy Bomber Regiment, Colonel Oleksandr Skitsky, who then tasked his subordinates with carrying out the missile launches.
According to the investigation, all participants in the operation—from the commander of Long-Range Aviation, Kobylash, to the aircraft commanders—were aware of the targets, their coordinates, and that they were civilian, not military, objects. They also understood the destructive power of the X-101 missiles, which are equipped with high-explosive warheads weighing approximately 180 kilograms of explosive, with a TNT equivalent of 200–240 kilograms.
On March 1, 2022, a Tu-95MS bomber launched two X-101 cruise missiles, which followed a pre-programmed route and entered Kyiv’s airspace unhindered. At 17:10–17:11, one missile struck the Kyiv TV tower, and the other hit the land plot between the houses on Yuriy Illienko Street.
The attack killed five civilians: two women (born 1970 and 1989), two men (born 1973 and 1974), and a 12-year-old girl (born 2010). Six other civilians sustained injuries of varying severity.
The strike also caused damage to the Avangard sports complex (48 Yuriy Illienko Street), the Avtodoktor car service (52-A Yuriy Illienko Street), a fitness center (48 Yuriy Illienko Street), the Shupyk National University of Health of Ukraine (9 Dorohozhytska Street), and two vehicles—a Toyota RAV-4 and a Lada Priora.
Suspicion
The investigation found that Varpakhovich did not take any preventive measures when planning or ordering the attack. He did not alter, stop, or cancel the deliberately criminal orders targeting civilian objects.
He was therefore notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—for violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murder committed by prior conspiracy.
According to the investigation, he acted in coordination with the commander of Long-Range Aviation, Lieutenant General Serhiy Kobylash, the commander of the 121st Regiment, Colonel Oleksandr Skitsky, and other unidentified representatives of the Russian military, who had been notified of suspicion earlier.
