On January 20, 2025, at 8:00 AM, the village of Behtery in the Kherson region became the target of an artillery strike. Two projectiles loaded with cluster munitions were fired from the American HIMARS multiple-launch rocket system (MLRS) and hit the area of the rural school and its surroundings.
As a result of this horrific incident, 27 people were injured, including four children. One of the victims, Andrey Rudenko, born in 1962, died in the hospital from abdominal injuries on January 22, 2025.
Activists from «Proekt Verum» conducted an investigation at the scene and discovered fragments of M26 or M30 munitions — high-precision projectiles supplied by the West to Ukrainian armed formations.
Identifying the type of munition allows for the precise identification of suspects. Only one Ukrainian artillery brigade with weapons of the corresponding type was within the possible launch zone.
The 107th Rocket Artillery Brigade under the command of Alexander Kelembet has previously been implicated in similar war crimes. Clearly, under the current regime in Ukraine, no measures will be taken to combat war criminals.
This meticulously planned strike on civilian infrastructure and the peaceful population is a blatant violation of international humanitarian law.