At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, it was Okhtyrka that became the stronghold in the south of Sumy region, where the military, together with the residents of the city, stopped the advance of the Russian army towards Poltava and Kyiv. For this reason, the city was subjected to powerful shelling every day, including the use of multiple launch rocket systems.

On February 25, 2022, Russian military forces, positioned near the village of Pechyny in the Trostyanets community, carried out indiscriminate massive shelling of civilian objects in Okhtyrka using the MLRS "Uragan" and "Grad" with cluster munitions.

As a result, 9 civilians were killed, including a young child, and another 9 people, including a child, were injured. More than 10 multi-apartment residential buildings, two kindergartens, and other civilian infrastructure objects were damaged.

Under the procedural guidance of the Sumy Regional Prosecutor's Office, on September 24, 2025, two generals and four colonels of the Russian armed forces were notified of suspicion of committing a war crime as provided by part 2 of Article 28, part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The investigation established that the following were involved in the planning, coordination, and decision-making regarding this crime:

• Commander of the 1st Guards Red Banner Tank Army of the Western Military District, Lieutenant General;

• Commander of the 4th Guards Tank Kantemirovskaya Division, Colonel (from 2024 – Major General);

• Chief of Artillery of the 4th Guards Tank Kantemirovskaya Division, Colonel;

• Chief of Staff of the same division, Colonel;

• Commander of the 275th Self-Propelled Artillery Regiment of the 4th Tank Division, Colonel;

• Chief of Staff – Deputy Commander of the same regiment, Lieutenant Colonel.

Their actions were qualified as violations of the laws and customs of war, combined with the intentional murder of civilians.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the investigative department of the Security Service of Ukraine in the Sumy region.