Kyiv court jails guard to 4 years for fatal shelter lockout during Russian missile attack

The court sentenced a former hospital security guard to four years in prison for failing to open a shelter during a Russian missile attack last June. The incident resulted in the deaths of three people, including a 9-year-old girl, who were unable to access the locked facility.

Jul 30, 2024 - 18:45
Kyiv court jails guard to 4 years for fatal shelter lockout during Russian missile attack

Kyiv Russian missile strike on Ukraine

 A former security guard at a Kyiv hospital was sentenced to four years in prison for his role in the deaths of three people during a Russian missile attack on 1 June in 2023. 

People attempted to enter the polyclinic’s shelter but found the doors locked. According to the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office, the ex-security guard Vadym Moshkin failed to open the shelter’s doors when an air raid alert was sounded.

The Desnyansky District Court of Kyiv found Moshkin guilty of leaving people in danger, which resulted in their deaths.

Prosecutors argued that the security guard’s failure to act constituted a violation of the law,

which pertains to knowingly leaving individuals in a life-threatening situation without assistance when there was an opportunity to help.

The court considered the death of a 9-year-old girl as an aggravating circumstance in determining the sentence. Despite the evidence, Moshkin did not admit guilt or express remorse for the incident.

Four more were initially identified in this criminal case, however only Moshkin was charged so far.

On 1 June,  marked as Children’s Day in Ukraine, a Russian missile attack on Kyiv resulted in the deaths of three people, including a nine-year-old girl, and injuries to 11 others. The attack involved 10 Iskander missiles launched from Russia’s Bryansk Oblast, all of which were intercepted by Ukrainian air defense, but falling debris caused fatalities and extensive damage to residential areas and public buildings, including a children’s clinic and schools.

Related:

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this.  We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!