Ukrainian authorities have charged Russian commanders implicated in the shelling of the Prydniprovska Thermal Power Plant
The Security Service of Ukraine and the Office of the Prosecutor General have gathered evidence linking two Russian commanders to the missile attack on the Prydniprovsk Thermal Power Plant in October 2022. The suspects have been notified in absentia that they are suspected of committing a war crime.
“The crime committed by two Russian commanders involved in the targeted shelling of the Prydniprovsk Thermal Power Plant in October 2022 has been documented,” according to a statement from the Ukrainian security service.
According to the investigation, Russian military forces struck the Prydniprovsk Thermal Power Plant with two “Kalibr”-type cruise missiles.
According to the SBU, the missiles were launched from the frigate “Admiral Makarov,” which was in the Black Sea.
The security service determined that the attack on Ukraine’s critical infrastructure was commanded by two officers of the Russian Federation’s Black Sea Fleet.
The SBU has identified two Russian military personnel involved in organizing the strike:
- Captain 1st Rank Oleg Knyazev—former chief of staff and first deputy commander of the 30th Division of Surface Ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet;
- Captain 2nd Rank Serhiy Romanenko—former commander of the frigate “Admiral Makarov” of the 30th Surface Ship Division of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
“It has been established that the Russian attack on critical infrastructure was commanded by: Captain 1st Rank Oleg Knyazev—former Chief of Staff and First Deputy Commander of the 30th Surface Ship Division of the aggressor country’s Black Sea Fleet; Captain 2nd Rank Serhiy Romanenko—former commander of the frigate “Admiral Makarov” of the 30th Surface Ship Division of the Russian Federation’s Black Sea Fleet,” the agency emphasized.
Investigators from the SBU’s Main Investigative Directorate have notified both suspects in absentia of their status as suspects under Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
This article provides for liability for war crimes.
The investigation was conducted under the procedural guidance of the Office of the Prosecutor General.
Comprehensive measures are currently underway to bring the Russian military personnel to justice.
This was reported by the SBU.
As a reminder, on August 11, 2026, the SBU, the National Police, and the Office of the Prosecutor General announced that Russian Major General Alexander Novikov had been charged in absentia. According to the investigation, in the spring of 2024, he directed strikes against Ukrainian power plants and gas transmission system facilities.
