On June 25, 2026, the Main Directorate of the National Police in the Dnipropetrovsk region notified three russian generals of suspicion under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine over the shelling of Nikopol that took place in 2022.

Who are the suspects

Surovikin Sergey Vladimirovich (born October 11, 1966) — Army General, Commander of the “South” Group of Forces of the russian Armed Forces.

Lyamin Denis Igorevich (born May 19, 1979) — Lieutenant General, Commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District of the russian Armed Forces.

Medvedev Sergey Viktorovich (born October 22, 1979) — Lieutenant General, Chief of Staff and First Deputy Commander of the 58th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District of the russian Armed Forces.

Circumstances of the crime

These three russian generals are accused of developing and implementing a criminal plan that involved carrying out indiscriminate fire strikes against civilian objects and the civilian population of the Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region.

Surovikin, who commanded the “South” Group of Forces as of 2022, approved the overall fire plan targeting the district and signed the relevant combat orders. Medvedev, as Chief of Staff, took a direct part in planning the combat employment of the 58th Army’s artillery, while Army Commander Lyamin, acting on Surovikin’s orders and the staff’s operational plan, signed combat orders for subordinate units and commanded them during the shelling.

The artillery terror consisted of systematic shelling of populated areas on the right bank of the Kakhovka Reservoir, primarily Nikopol, using 122 mm BM-21 “Grad” multiple launch rocket systems.

To support the notices of suspicion, investigators documented five strikes between July and August 2022:

• July 12, 2022 (around 00:03): the shelling destroyed garage buildings;
• July 16, 2022 (around 04:06): two civilians were killed and three others were injured in the artillery shelling. Apartment buildings, businesses (including LLC “Interpipe Niko Tube” and PrJSC “Centravis Production Ukraine”), a blood transfusion station, Gymnasium No. 23, a vocational education center, and a store were damaged;
• July 18, 2022 (around 02:15): the shelling damaged a number of private houses on eight streets and lanes across the city;
• August 6, 2022 (around 01:14): four civilians sustained injuries of varying severity, including gunshot and shrapnel wounds. Apartment buildings, private homes, Kindergarten No. 53 “Golden Rooster”, and the House of Children’s and Youth Creativity were damaged;
• August 9, 2022 (around 02:23): one civilian sustained serious injuries, including an open fracture of the arm. Residential buildings and the premises of several local businesses were damaged, including LLC “Interpipe Niko Tube”, PrJSC “Centravis Production Ukraine”, LLC “Khozvokom”, and PrJSC “Energoresursy”.

Suspicion

All of the targeted objects were civilian in nature and were neither military objectives nor dual-use facilities. Their destruction or damage provided no military advantage, was not justified by military necessity, and the civilian population was not participating in the armed conflict.

Therefore, the actions of Generals Surovikin, Lyamin, and Medvedev have been classified as intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population and civilian objects, constituting a serious violation of the laws and customs of war (Parts One and Two of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

Criminal proceedings were entered into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations under No. 12026040000001510 on June 19, 2026.