The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), in cooperation with the Prosecutor General's Office, has served a notice of suspicion in absentia to Russian General Alexander Dvornikov, former commander of the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces. According to the investigation, it was he who, on February 24, 2022, ordered subordinate units to invade the Kherson region from the temporarily occupied Crimea and commanded the capture of the regional center.
Charges and Collected Evidence
According to the SBU, investigators and prosecutors have gathered a sufficient body of evidence on the basis of which Dvornikov was notified of suspicion in absentia. The defendant is incriminated with waging aggressive war or aggressive military operations under Part 2 of Article 437 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The agency emphasizes that comprehensive measures to bring the war criminal to justice are ongoing.
The Course of the Offensive on February 24, 2022
According to the case files, the invasion order was given on the first day of the full-scale invasion. Ground forces invaded the Kherson region through the Chongar and Kalanchak checkpoints, which had been previously shelled with various types of weapons. Simultaneously, Russian aviation launched strikes against the region's civilian infrastructure, notably the airfield in Chornobaivka.
Bridgehead and Strategic Goals
According to the investigation, Dvornikov commanded the seizure of a bridgehead on the right bank of the Dnipro River, which was supposed to secure the further advance of the Russian army toward Kherson. After taking the regional center, as noted in the suspicion notice, Russian troops expected to occupy Mykolaiv, Odesa, and the entire Black Sea region of Ukraine.
Failure of the Offensive
However, according to Ukrainian law enforcement, the Defense Forces blocked the offensive actions of the Russian troops. As early as November 11, 2022, the right-bank part of the Kherson region was liberated, which essentially thwarted the plan for a rapid capture of southern Ukraine.
Context: A Series of Cases Against Russian Generals
Dvornikov's case is not an isolated incident. Previously, the SBU announced suspicions against General Vladimir Seliverstov, who, according to the investigation, commanded the operation to capture Kyiv "in three days," as well as Lieutenant General Konstantin Stepanishchev, deputy commander of the 6th Combined Arms Army of the Western Military District, who planned the "blitzkrieg" to capture Kharkiv. Suspicion was also served on Major General Robert Baranov, who is linked to missile strikes on Ukraine.
