The Security Service of Ukraine has identified a Russian general involved in organizing the missile strike on the Dnipro Thermal Power Plant in October 2022. According to the investigation, this concerns Rear Admiral Volodymyr Kuzmin, the former commander of the 30th Division of Surface Ships of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation.
This is reported by Finway
Investigation Details and Circumstances of the Attack
Investigators have determined that Kuzmin gave the order to carry out a targeted airstrike with sea-based Kalibr-NK cruise missiles on the Dnipro Thermal Power Plant, located in the Dnipropetrovsk region. The attack was carried out from the Russian frigate Admiral Makarov, which was in the waters of the Black Sea. At the time of the shelling, Kuzmin held the position of commander of the Russian Navy group.
“The goal of the enemy strike was to deprive most of Dnipro of electricity, primarily residential buildings, schools, hospitals, and other social infrastructure of the frontline city. Shortly after the shelling of the civilian energy facility, the Kremlin rewarded Kuzmin with another rank – Rear Admiral,” stated the SBU.
Qualification of Actions and Consequences of Strikes on Energy Infrastructure
The collected evidence allowed the SBU investigators to inform the Russian commander of his suspicion of committing war crimes in absentia. In the fall of 2022, Russia significantly intensified attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, leading to widespread power outages during the winter of 2022-2023. The aggressor has adhered to a similar tactic in subsequent years.
The SBU emphasizes that Russia’s strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities are considered crimes against humanity. According to service spokespersons, since the beginning of the heating season in 2025, at least 256 air attacks by the Russian Federation on energy facilities and heating supply systems have been recorded across the country.
In February 2026, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed that Russia allegedly had not initiated attacks on civilian facilities, asserting that Ukraine was the first to strike its energy infrastructure.