Russian officers, led by General Alexander Lapin, are suspected of carrying out an airstrike on a construction hypermarket in Kharkiv.

Five Russian officers from the "North" group of Russian troops have been formally charged in absentia with carrying out an airstrike on the "Epicenter" hypermarket building in Kharkiv, resulting in the deaths of 19 civilians.

This is stated in the charges on the website of the Office of the Prosecutor General.

The Russian military leadership has been accused of violating the laws and customs of war, combined with the intentional murder by a group of individuals in premeditated conspiracy.

Colonel General Alexander Lapin, commander of the Leningrad Military District of the RF Armed Forces, commanded the "North" occupation troops that were advancing on Kharkiv. The highest military-political leadership of the Russian Federation tasked him with destroying civilian infrastructure and industrial facilities in the Kharkiv region, according to the charges.

Lapin ordered his subordinate, the chief of staff, First Deputy Commander of the "North" military group, Lieutenant General Valery Solodchuk, to develop a plan for a missile and bombing strike on the "Epicenter" building in Kharkiv. The immediate calculations of forces and means, as well as the necessary time for task execution, were handled by another group member, Major General Yuri Podoplev.

After Lapin approved the plan, its implementation was entrusted to the commander of the 6th Army of the RF Air Force, Lieutenant General Oleg Makovetsky. The execution of the order was carried out by the commander of the 47th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment, Alexey Loboda. Following his instructions, on May 25, 2024, Russian "Su-34" aircraft took off from the Voronezh airfield "Buturlinovka" and conducted an airstrike on the "Epicenter" premises in Kharkiv.

As a result, nineteen civilians were killed, including hypermarket employees: Oksana Skripany, Alexander Dyachenko, Ruslan Makhortov, and visitors Irina Mironenko, her 12-year-old daughter Maria, among others. More than 40 civilians sustained injuries of varying severity.

It is worth noting that five generals and two colonels from the command staff of the Western Military District and the Air Force of the RF Armed Forces are suspected of planning an airstrike on civilian infrastructure in Putivl, Sumy Oblast.