Russian missile strike on an arms exhibition in the Kyiv region: the organizer was detained and charged
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The organizer of an arms exhibition in the Kyiv region, where 10 people were killed and about 100 others were injured as a result of a Russian strike on July 24, has been detained. He has already been notified of the charges against him.
This was announced by Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
The main organizer of the event has been detained. He has been notified of charges under Part 3 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The court will determine his pretrial detention status in the near future.
Ruslan Kravchenko Prosecutor General of Ukraine
He added that “due to minor injuries,” the suspect is currently under guard at a medical facility. Investigators have also already conducted searches at the association’s office and at the residences of individuals involved in organizing the event.
Neglect of safety and lack of approvals
According to the investigation, one of the gunmakers’ associations organized a large-scale event involving military personnel, representatives of government agencies, the business community, and international partners “without any approvals” from the military command, regional and district military administrations, or other authorized bodies.
The event’s program included a demonstration of air defense systems. More than 300 people were invited to the open-air venue. Meanwhile, the nearest shelter, measuring just 34 square meters, was located approximately 100 meters from the event site.
This means that hundreds of people were exposed to an obvious safety risk from the very beginning
Ruslan Kravchenko Prosecutor General of Ukraine
In addition, invitations to the event were sent out 9 days before it took place, and participants received the exact time and location details just one day beforehand.
The investigation is examining whether these actions could have enabled the enemy to prepare a targeted strike
Ruslan Kravchenko Prosecutor General of Ukraine
Law enforcement agencies will conduct a separate legal assessment of the actions or inaction of all officials who were responsible for responding to potential security risks.
In particular, according to Kravchenko, the activities of the relevant units of the National Police, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), state authorities, local governments, and military command are currently being thoroughly investigated to determine whether they took all response measures required by law.
As a reminder, on Friday, July 24, Russian troops carried out a targeted strike on a military training ground where an arms exhibition was taking place. The strike resulted in fatalities and significant damage.
At the same time, participants in the arms exhibition have confirmed the Russian strike on the training ground. According to them, there are currently not enough ambulance crews at the site of the attack. As is known, the announcement regarding the exhibition at the open-air training ground was freely available online.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stated that the civilian facility targeted by Russia’s missile strike on July 24 is not under the jurisdiction of the Armed Forces. Ignat also reported that any public gatherings within the military have long been strictly prohibited.