Russian general charged over missile strike on Ukrainian philosopher Skovoroda's museum
Ukrainian prosecutors have charged a Russian lieutenant general with ordering a missile strike that devastated a museum dedicated to the 18th-century Ukrainian philosopher Hryhorii Skovoroda in Kharkiv Oblast in May 2022.
The officer, a native of Chuhuiv in the same region, commanded Russia's 6th Air and Air Defense Forces Army at the time of the attack, according to Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office.
Investigators allege that he deliberately selected the National Literary and Memorial Museum of Hryhorii Skovoroda as a target, knowing it was a protected cultural heritage site rather than a military facility.
Prosecutors say the general ordered the commander of the 105th Aviation Division to strike the museum. The order was then passed to a fighter aviation regiment. Indictments against the two subordinate commanders have already been submitted to court.
On May 6, 2022, a Russian Su-35S fighter jet fired a Kh-35 anti-ship missile at the museum in the village of Skovorodynivka, investigators said.
The strike injured a civilian who had remained to guard the museum. It destroyed the roof and floors and damaged the building's walls, windows, doors and exhibits, leaving the historic property unsafe to use.
The museum occupied an 18th-century estate where Skovoroda spent his final years. The philosopher, one of Ukraine's most influential thinkers, was originally buried nearby.
Prosecutors approved the indictment on October 23. The general faces eight to 12 years in prison if convicted of violating the laws and customs of war.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, Russian military actions had damaged or destroyed 2,161 Ukrainian cultural heritage sites as of September 2026.