Ukraine charges four Russians in absentia with war crimes for role in deadly missile strike on Kryvyi Rih playground
Ukrainian authorities have filed in absentia charges against four Russians who they say were responsible for a devastating missile strike on a playground in Kryvyi Rih in April that killed 20 people including nine children.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced the charges on Nov. 24, naming Colonel-General Aleksei Kim, Vice Admiral Aleksandr Peshkov, Rear Admiral Aleksei Petrushin and Colonel Aleksandr Kisiedobryev as those responsible for the Iskander ballistic missile strike.
"Comprehensive measures are ongoing to hold the command of Russian forces accountable for crimes against our state," the SBU's Telegram post announcing the charges said.
The April attack claimed the lives of 20 residents, including nine children. An industrial town in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Kryvyi Rih is perhaps most notable today as the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky and many of his former colleagues at Kvartal 95, the film studio that made him famous.
Ukraine has charged a vast array of Russian citizens and perceived sympathizers with various criminal activities in absentia. These range from Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov to Russian-American journalist Masha Gessen.
Ukraine has struggled with the actual extradition process. In June, Ukraine and the Council of Europe signed on to a special tribunal that would in theory expand the legal might and range of these prosecutions.
However, Europe has also had limited success arresting Russians unless they actually live inside Europe themselves. The vast majority of war crimes cases against Russians remain for the time being strictly symbolic.
Recent maneuvering surrounding the peace negotiations that would offer "full amnesty for actions during the war" could render all of these moot.
