Ukraine charges three more Russian commanders over Okhmatdyt hospital strike
Ukrainian authorities have notified three additional Russian aviation commanders of suspicions in absentia over the missile strike on Kyiv's Okhmatdyt children's hospital on 8 July 2024. Investigators allege that the officers coordinated the attack using a Kh-101 missile fired from a Tu-95MS bomber. Two civilians were killed and at least 34 people, including nine children, were injured.
Key points
- The suspicions were announced on 3 November 2026.
- The suspects are Colonel Oleh Skitskyi, Colonel Illia Koriakin and Lieutenant Colonel Oleksandr Senchenko.
- They commanded units within Russia's 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division and 121st Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment.
- Investigators allege they coordinated the attack and ordered subordinates to strike the hospital with a Kh-101 missile launched from a Tu-95MS bomber.
- A Kh-101 struck the hospital at about 10:45 on 8 July 2024, when more than 600 patients were inside.
- Two civilians died and at least 34 people, including nine children, were injured.
- The suspects were notified in absentia under Part 2 of Article 438 of Ukraine's Criminal Code.
Why it matters
The new allegations extend potential accountability for the attack to senior Russian aviation commanders whom investigators say coordinated the operation and issued orders to their subordinates. The strike killed two civilians, injured at least 34 people, including nine children, and destroyed hospital facilities and medical equipment while more than 600 patients were inside.
What happened
On 3 November 2026, Ukraine's Office of the Prosecutor General announced in-absentia suspicions against three additional Russian military commanders over the 8 July 2024 missile strike on Okhmatdyt. The suspects are Colonel Oleh Skitskyi, commander of the 121st Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment; Colonel Illia Koriakin, deputy commander and chief of staff of the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division; and Lieutenant Colonel Oleksandr Senchenko, chief of staff and deputy commander of the 121st regiment.
Ukrainian investigators allege that the three officers coordinated the preparation and execution of the attack and ordered subordinates to strike the hospital with a Kh-101 air-launched missile fired from a Tu-95MS strategic bomber. The missile hit the hospital's treatment building at about 10:45, when children and more than 600 patients were present. Two civilians, a young doctor and the grandfather of a young patient, were killed. At least 34 people were injured, including nine children. Parts of the hospital and medical equipment were destroyed, and 33 people were killed across Kyiv that day.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reporting focuses on the legal allegations, the suspects' military roles and their alleged coordination of the strike. It also emphasizes the presence of children and more than 600 patients, the deaths and injuries, and the destruction of medical infrastructure. The latest notifications are presented as an expansion of an existing criminal investigation that had already resulted in in-absentia suspicions against three Russian generals.
How international sources describe it
International coverage highlights the announcement of in-absentia suspicions against three additional commanders and the legal basis for the charges, alongside the reported casualties and destruction caused by the hospital strike.
Background
A Kh-101 missile fired from a Tu-95MS strategic bomber struck Okhmatdyt's treatment building on 8 July 2024. The three newly suspected officers served in Russia's 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division and 121st Heavy Bomber Aviation Regiment. Earlier in the same investigation, Ukrainian authorities identified Russian Major Denys Sheynov as likely involved and issued in-absentia suspicions against Russian generals Serhii Kobylash, Serhii Kuvaldin and Mykola Varpakhovych.