- July 3, 2026
- 12:35 pm
- Brief news
The Security Service of Ukraine and the Office of the Prosecutor General have initiated criminal proceedings on the facts of war crimes by Russian Army General Valery Gerasimov, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
According to the investigation, Gerasimov is directly involved in planning and conducting massive missile and air strikes on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, including the attack on Kyiv and the Kyiv region on the night of July 2, 2026. The SBU stated that it is under his orders that subordinate Russian groups are preparing and executing air attacks using bombers, missile-carrying ships, and ground-based operational-tactical missile systems.
What exactly are Ukrainian law enforcement investigating
SBU investigators qualify Gerasimov’s actions under Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — violation of the laws and customs of war as provided by international treaties, as well as giving orders to commit such actions. It is specifically emphasized that strikes on civilian objects contradict the norms of international humanitarian law, including the provisions of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions.
For Israel, this topic is not distant news ‘somewhere in Europe.’ It concerns the practice of strikes on cities, residential areas, and civilian infrastructure — that is, the same logic of war against the civilian population that Israelis understand well after their own years of missile threats and attacks on cities.
Night of July 2: missiles, drones, and destroyed houses
On the night of July 2, Russia launched one of the heaviest combined strikes on Ukraine in recent times. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, 74 missiles and 496 drones of various types were used. The main direction of the strike was Kyiv. Ukrainian air defense destroyed or suppressed 476 drones and 48 missiles.
The attack was characterized by a large number of ballistic missiles and jet drones. Ukrainian military recorded hits from 25 ballistic missiles and 12 strike UAVs at 33 locations, as well as the fall of downed drones or their debris at 18 locations.
Kyiv counts the dead and searches for people under the rubble
According to the latest published data, the death toll in Kyiv after the attack has risen to 30 people. Rescuers retrieved three more bodies from under the rubble, and search operations continued in the Darnytskyi district. There were also reports of dozens of injured, including children and medical workers.
Residential buildings, a hotel, an ambulance station, warehouses, shops, and other city facilities were damaged. In certain areas of the capital, the strike hit high-rise buildings where people were at home at night. That is why the Ukrainian investigation considers this attack not as a ‘military episode’ but as part of a systematic campaign against civilian infrastructure.
Why this is important for Israel
The Israeli audience sees in this story not only a Ukrainian tragedy but also an important precedent for the responsibility of military leaders for orders that lead to civilian casualties. If the investigation proves the chain from headquarters to a specific strike, the issue goes beyond propaganda statements and becomes legal.
In this context, НАновости — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency is monitoring how Ukraine documents Russian attacks because such cases form international practice: who gives the order, who plans the strike, who launches the missiles, and who should be held accountable for the destroyed houses.
Not only Kyiv but also international security
Massive attacks with missiles and drones show how quickly modern wars transition into a format of pressure on cities. For Israel, this is an especially sensitive topic: air defense, protection of civilian objects, the work of rescuers, legal documentation of crimes, and international reaction — all these are not abstract concepts but elements of national security.
Kyiv declared July 3 a day of mourning for those killed as a result of the Russian attack. Search operations and data clarification continued, while Ukrainian law enforcement simultaneously gathered evidence for the case against Gerasimov and other representatives of the Russian military command.