The Investigative Committee of Russia launched a criminal investigation on the offense of a crime prescribed in Part 1, Article 356 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (ill-treatment of the civilian population, the use of banned means and methods of warfare), in connection with the death of Mr. Alexei Viktorovich Katerinichev, First Deputy Head of the Civil-Military Administration of Kherson oblast.

The investigation detected that on September 30, 2022, servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other Ukrainian military formations occupied positions on the territory of Kherson oblast under their control. Fulfilling the deliberately criminal orders of higher commanders and officials of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, they carried out targeted shelling with the use of rocket weapons of civilian infrastructure in the Kherson city, Kherson oblast. As a result, Mr. A.V. Katerinichev died.

It was revealled that the above-mentioned militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine acted deliberately by a group of persons in collusion. Their target was to kill two or more persons, causing grievous bodily harm committed by a generally dangerous way to an unlimited number of citizens living in Kherson oblast and not participating in the armed conflict. The motive was political and ideological hatred and hostility associated with the withdrawal of the Kherson oblast from Ukraine and the formation of an independent severally territorial and administrative division.

Within the criminal investigation, investigators of the Russian Investigative Committee are detecting all the circumstances of the crime and the persons involved in its commission.