Blow to Factor-Druk in Kharkiv: Case Against Four Russian Commanders Referred to Court

The Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office has filed an indictment with the court against four members of the Russian Federation’s high-ranking military command, who are accused of organizing a missile strike on the “Faktor-Druk” printing plant in Kharkiv on May 23, 2024. Seven employees were killed in the attack, and more than 20 others were injured.

 

According to the investigation, on the morning of May 23, Russian military forces fired three S-300 missiles at the facility from the Belgorod region of the Russian Federation. The strike destroyed tens of thousands of books, including children’s literature, fiction, and school textbooks.

The investigation identified four members of the Russian command who, according to the prosecutor’s office, participated in the preparation and organization of the attack. These include the chief of staff—the first deputy commander of the group; the head of the air and missile defense department; the head of the joint fire planning and coordination center; and the head of intelligence.

According to the investigation, they were responsible, respectively, for issuing the combat order, determining the parameters for the use of missile systems, selecting the target and planning the strike, as well as gathering and transmitting intelligence on the printing plant.

The combat order was carried out directly by servicemen of Special Tactical Missile Group No. 3, formed from personnel of the Russian Federation’s 568th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment.

All four defendants have been placed on the wanted list. Their actions have been classified under Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The documentation of the crime and the analysis of the evidence were conducted in cooperation with international partners, including Project Expedite Justice, as well as experts from the interagency working group under the Office of the Prosecutor General.

At the same time, in accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court verdict.

Source: Office of the Prosecutor General

As a reminder, Russia attacked 19 settlements in the Kherson region over the past 24 hours.

The Russian Federation also carried out 712 strikes on Zaporizhzhia Oblast, resulting in one fatality and several injuries.

A private home was damaged as a result of a nighttime Russian attack on the Rivne region.

There were fatalities and injuries as a result of the Russian attack on the Kyiv region.