Ukrainian prosecutors indict Russian general over missile strike on Skovoroda Museum
Ukrainian prosecutors have approved an indictment against Russian Lieutenant General Oleg Makovetskyi, accused of ordering the 6 May 2022 missile strike on the Hryhorii Skovoroda Museum in Skovorodynivka. The museum was severely damaged and remains unsafe to operate. Makovetskyi is being tried in absentia and faces eight to 12 years in prison.
Huvudpunkter
- Prosecutors approved the indictment against Oleg Makovetskyi on 23 October 2026.
- The charges concern the 6 May 2022 missile strike on the Hryhorii Skovoroda Museum in Skovorodynivka.
- Makovetskyi allegedly ordered the attack while commanding the 6th Army of the Russian Air Force and Air Defence.
- A Russian Su-35C fired an X-35 anti-ship missile at the museum at 23:30.
- The roof and ceiling were destroyed, while walls, windows, doors, utilities and part of the exhibition were damaged.
- Makovetskyi is being tried in absentia and faces eight to 12 years in prison.
- By September 2026, 2,161 Ukrainian cultural heritage sites had been damaged or destroyed.
Därför är det viktigt
The case brings accountability for directing a missile strike against a civilian cultural site. The attack destroyed major parts of the museum and left its building unsafe to operate, while also illustrating the wider destruction of Ukraine’s cultural heritage by Russian forces. Related indictments against the commanders who received and passed on the order have also been sent to court.
Vad som hände
Ukrainian prosecutors approved an indictment on 23 October 2026 against Russian Lieutenant General Oleg Makovetskyi, a native of Chuhuiv in Kharkiv Oblast. He is accused of violating Ukrainian laws and customs of war by ordering, in advance of 6 May 2022, a missile strike on the Hryhorii Skovoroda Museum in the village of Skovorodynivka.
Investigators with the Security Service of Ukraine’s Main Investigation Department said the order was passed from the army commander to the commander of the 105th Air Division and then to the commander of a fighter aviation regiment. At 23:30 on 6 May, a Russian Su-35C fired an X-35 anti-ship missile at the museum from Kharkiv Oblast.
The strike destroyed the museum’s roof and ceiling and damaged its walls, windows, doors, engineering systems and part of the exhibition. The building remains in an emergency condition and cannot be operated safely. The indictment was approved under Articles 438 and 28 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, and Makovetskyi faces eight to 12 years in prison.
Så beskriver ukrainska källor det
Ukrainian reporting focuses on the alleged deliberate targeting of a non-military cultural site, Makovetskyi’s connection by birth to Chuhuiv and the severe damage to the museum. The case is also presented as part of the documented destruction of Ukraine’s cultural heritage and as an example of efforts to hold senior Russian commanders accountable.
Där rapporteringen skiljer sig åt
The supplied sources disagree about the fate of the civilian who remained guarding the museum. Most report that the person was injured, while one states that a civilian died.
Bakgrund
The museum is located in an eighteenth-century estate associated with the final years of Hryhorii Skovoroda’s life and his first burial. The missile strike occurred on 6 May 2022. Despite the physical damage, the museum has been available for online visits since August 2024.