Ukraine’s SBU security service says it has issued a new in-absentia suspicion notice to Alexander Dvornikov, the former commander of Russia’s Southern Military District, over the 2022 seizure of Kherson. The move is a concrete procedural step: investigators have tied their account of the opening assault on Kherson region to a named former commander. It is not, however, a court ruling on his responsibility.
According to the SBU, Dvornikov ordered subordinate formations to enter Kherson region from occupied Crimea on February 24, 2022, while serving as Southern Military District commander. The agency says the operation involved Russia’s 8th, 49th and 58th combined-arms armies, the 22nd Army Corps of the Black Sea Fleet and other Russian formations.
The SBU further alleges that he directed the seizure of a bridgehead on the right bank of the Dnipro for a subsequent advance toward Kherson. It says he has been notified in absentia of suspicion of waging an aggressive war or aggressive military actions under Article 437(2) of Ukraine’s Criminal Code.
The value of this development lies in the specificity of the legal step, not in a settled finding of individual guilt. Ukraine’s investigators have publicly set out an alleged command link and legal characterisation for an operation launched on the first day of the full-scale invasion. That can support further proceedings, but it cannot substitute for a judicial examination of the evidence.
The supplied report does not provide a case number, the full suspicion notice, information on any detention or trial, or a response from Dvornikov or Russian authorities. Those details will matter for whether the in-absentia notice develops into a case with practical court progress. Source: Ukrinform, citing the SBU.
Sources
- Укрінформ · Source date: 2026-11-11
Independent editorial content. WUA is not affiliated with any political party. 2026-11-11