Strike against Groza in Kharkiv region: the case of the seven involved has been handed over to the court.
The Kharkiv regional prosecutor's office has transferred the case of seven people involved in the attack on the village of Groza in the Kupiansk district to court on October 5 2023 year. According to the prosecutor's office, a Russian ballistic missile struck the "Sputnik" cafe during a memorial dinner: 59 people were killed, including a 8-year-old child, and five others were injured. Among the accused are two former residents of the village and five Russian soldiers.
The Kharkiv regional prosecutor's office has announced that the indictment against seven individuals involved in the attack on the village of Groza in the Kupiansk district has been approved and forwarded to the court.
This refers to the attack on October 5 2023, when a Russian ballistic missile from the "Iskander-M" complex struck the "Sputnik" cafe in Grozy. Local residents had gathered there for a memorial meal after the reburial of a Ukrainian soldier. According to the prosecutor's office, 59 people died, including a 8-year-old child, and five others were injured. According to the investigation, there was no military target at the location.
The investigation lasted almost three years. An inspection and 3D scanning were conducted at the site of the tragedy, the wreckage of the rocket was examined, the flight trajectory and launch location were determined; a total of over 270 forensic examinations were carried out.
According to the investigation, the information about the location and time of the memorial service was passed to the Russian side by two brothers who previously lived in Grozny and cooperated with Russian military during the occupation. After the territory was liberated, they fled to Russia. They are accused of aiding and abetting a war crime and treason against the state, committed during wartime with the prior agreement of a group of individuals.
The investigation described the chain of decisions leading to the strike: the head of the Center for Fire Support Intelligence at the Russian group's headquarters verified the received information, the head of the Center for Combined Fire Support Planning and Coordination submitted a proposal for the strike, and the final decision was made by the head of the headquarters – the first deputy commander of the group, who issued the order. Also involved in organizing the strike were the head of the missile and artillery troops and the commander of the 119-th missile brigade of the 41-th General Army of the Central Military District of the Russian Federation.
In July 2026, five Russian soldiers were charged with violating the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder, committed in concert by a group of individuals, under Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The head of the Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor's Office, Spartak Borisenko, emphasized that each war crime has specific individuals, positions, decisions, and orders associated with it, and the task of the investigation is to prove the guilt of each person involved in court.
The strike on Groza resulted in the highest number of civilian casualties in the Kharkiv region as a result of a single attack since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.