The Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office notified in absentia the commander of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy of suspicion for violating the laws and customs of war, committed by a group of persons based on a prior conspiracy (part 2 of Art. 28, part 1 of Art. 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

On February 26, 2022, while still in the position of chief of staff – first deputy commander of the Black Sea Fleet, the admiral gave the order to seize the Ukrainian search and rescue vessel «Sapphire», which was performing a humanitarian mission – to evacuate the wounded and dead from the area of Zmiinyi Island. There were no weapons on the ship, and the captain transmitted information about the peaceful nature of the task through international radio communication.

Russian ships forcibly stopped «Sapphire» in the open sea. There were 17 crew members and 4 civilian mission participants on board, including a doctor and a priest. The Russian military conducted a search, seized mobile phones and personal belongings, forcibly detained civilians in locked rooms, and threatened them with weapons.

After the capture of the ship «Sapphire», the admiral personally arrived at the temporarily occupied Zmiinyi Island. There he interrogated the ship's captain, inquiring about possible cooperation with the Ukrainian military and the SSU. He was aware of the humanitarian nature of the mission, yet he did not cancel the illegal detention of the civilian crew.

Subsequently, the ship, along with 21 civilians on board, was forcibly moved to the temporarily occupied Crimea, and later – to Russia. Only in March-May 2022 were the people released as part of an exchange. A Ukrainian rescue vessel was also returned.

Earlier, notifications of suspicion were also served to the commander of the reconnaissance ship «Equator» and the captain of the rescue and towing vessel «Shakhtyor» of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Federation. Both are involved in the ill-treatment of the crew of «Sapphire».

Under the procedural supervision of the Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office, a pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Investigations Department of the Main Department of National Police in the Odesa Region with the operational support of the SSU Department in the Odesa Region.