The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
On January 22, 2026, the Main Investigative Department of the Security Service of Ukraine announced an in-absentia suspicion against two high-ranking officers o
This was a strike that had no military logic whatsoever — only cold calculation and a demonstrative contempt for human life and for the world’s cultural heritage.
Who stands behind the crime
Two admirals who issued orders from the shadows, believing they would remain untouchable.
The Book of Executioners of the Ukrainian People published detailed information about these degenerates.
Viktor Sokolov — born in the Moldovan city of Bender, a citizen of the Russian Federation. From September 14, 2022 to April 2024 — commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
A man who was entrusted with surface and submarine carriers of Kalibr missiles — and who did not hesitate to use them against peaceful residential districts.
Arkadiy Romanov — a Moscow native, a citizen of the Russian Federation. Since May 2023 — Chief of Staff and First Deputy Commander of the Black Sea Fleet.
It was he who organized the execution of Sokolov’s order and ensured the launch of the missiles at a city that posed absolutely no military threat.
Both are individuals who should have understood the value of human life, the scale of responsibility, and the power of international law. But they deliberately chose the path of a war crime.
Circumstances of the crime
No later than July 6, 2023, Sokolov ordered Romanov to carry out a missile strike on a civilian area of Lviv.
Residential blocks found themselves in the line of fire — within the buffer zone of a World Heritage Site recognized by UNESCO as a value of humanity back in 1998.
Between 00:10 and 00:30, unidentified servicemen of the fleet launched 3M-14 Kalibr cruise missiles. The target was singular — residential buildings on Stryiska Street.
Architectural landmarks approved by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine as subject to state protection. Buildings where unarmed people lived.
Nine women were killed — aged between 32 and 70.
They were sleeping. They were not soldiers. They were not “targets”.
They were ordinary residents of their city who never imagined their homes would become targets.
Seventeen architectural monuments were destroyed or damaged. Dozens of apartments, cars, and civilian facilities were ruined.
The missile strike tore away a part of the historical face of a city the world had long recognized as priceless.
They knew what they were doing — and still pulled the trigger
The Security Service of Ukraine established that Sokolov and Romanov fully understood the illegality of their actions.
They knew about:
- The 1907 Hague Regulations
- Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions (1977)
- The 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property
- The 1972 UNESCO Convention
They knew these documents prohibit attacks on civilian buildings, cultural sites, and historic city centers.
They knew that casualties would be inevitable.
And yet they deliberately issued the criminal order.
A step toward justice — feared by those who believed in their impunity
The admirals have been notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
violations of the laws and customs of war combined with intentional murder.
This is not just a legal formality — it is a warning.
To everyone who tries to hide behind epaulettes, warships, or “orders from above.”
Justice does not forget. War crimes have no statute of limitations.
The names of those who issue criminal orders sooner or later appear in verdicts.
Sokolov and Romanov have become the latest on this list.
And everyone planning a new strike on peaceful people must remember: this list is only beginning.
