A Russian colonel who gave orders to shell villages in Kharkiv region has been identified. Photos and video

Under the procedural supervision of the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office, another Russian occupier was served a notice of suspicion in absentia. The deputy commander of the 18th Motorized Rifle Division of the 11th Army Corps of the Russian Baltic Fleet gave orders to shell villages in Kharkiv region after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion.

As a result of the criminal actions of the 45-year-old Russian colonel, there are dead and wounded Ukrainian civilians. Details were provided by the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office.

"Under the procedural supervision of the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office, a 45-year-old Russian citizen was served a notice of suspicion in absentia on the fact of violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murder and committed by a group of persons (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). As of February 24, 2022, the suspect was the Chief of Staff – Deputy Commander of the 18th Motorized Rifle Division of the 11th Army Corps of the Baltic Fleet of the Western Military District, which organizationally includes the 9th Motorized Rifle Regiment," the statement said.

According to the investigation, on March 2, 2022, a part of the regiment received a command to march along the route: Bezsonivka, Russia – the state border between Russia and Ukraine – Ruski Tyshky. On that day, at about 17:00, the units occupied the Khvoynyi Forest concentration area south of Ruski Tyshky.

On March 25, a part of the regiment took up defense in the Chuhuiv district, where it performed combat missions as part of the newly created Balakliya group of troops.

The Kharkiv regional prosecutor's office noted that on April 22, on the order of the suspect, Russian troops shelled Malynivka with Grad MLRS, killing one man and injuring two others.

No later than April 28, the colonel took up the position of senior operational officer of the 18th Motorized Rifle Division, which included the 9th Motorized Rifle Regiment. In this position, he gave orders to shell settlements, including Malynivka and Korobochkine, from the territory of Chkalovske and Hrakovo.

On his orders, Russian troops shelled the village of Korobochkine from May 8 to 28: residential buildings were damaged and a civilian was wounded. And on June 11, a resident of Malynivka was killed by a Grad MLRS after the colonel's order.

The regional prosecutor's office did not name the suspected occupier. Instead, Vladyslav Abdulla, a spokesman for the SBU Office in Kharkiv region, said in a comment to Dumka: it is the chief of staff of the 18th Motorized Rifle Division, Oleksandr Lazarev.

The Russian media referred to this character as a "hero of the SVO" who allegedly personally commanded the battle with Ukrainian soldiers, which lasted "more than 15 hours" and ended in the "victory" of the occupiers. The propagandists do not mention how the "hero" gave orders to open fire on Ukrainian civilians.

At the same time, the SBU is convinced that during the shelling of settlements in Kharkiv region, the occupiers were guided by the intention to destroy as many civilian objects as possible. By using terror, the Russians sought to stop the operation of civilian infrastructure and industry and create unfit conditions for civilians.

"These criminal actions of Russian Colonel Lazarev led to grave consequences for the Ukrainian state: deaths of civilians, injuries of varying severity, material damage in the form of destruction of private buildings, destruction of people's property and damage to civilian infrastructure," Abdullah said.

He added that on the orders of Lazarev, Russian troops systematically and indiscriminately shelled Osykovyi Hai in Chuhuiv district: there were no Ukrainian soldiers or military equipment there, as well as in Malynivka and Korobochkino. In addition, the Russian commander targeted road sector facilities: road companies, roads, bridges, etc.

The issue of putting the suspect on the wanted list is currently being decided.

Earlier, the SBU detained a corrector who was guiding Russian KABs to the positions of the Defense Forces in Donetsk region . For this purpose, the traitor went around the area and recorded the locations of potential targets. The 49-year-old local resident with pro-Kremlin views could be imprisoned for up to 8 years for his actions.

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