Ukrainian investigators have named Russian colonel general Sergei Kuzovlev a suspect over a missile strike on Pokrovsk, in Donetsk region, on 15 February 2023. The attack killed three civilians and wounded 11.

He was served with the notice of suspicion on 21 October 2026, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) office for Donetsk and Luhansk regions said.

Kuzovlev is suspected of violating the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder, under Article 438, Part 2 of Ukraine's Criminal Code. Investigators say he personally organised the planning of the strike, gave the order and led the units under him. They say he also involved colonel Anatoly Lapandin, commander of the Russian army's 439th Rocket Artillery Brigade.

Investigators say at least two 300mm rockets with high-explosive fragmentation warheads were fired at Pokrovsk at around 10:04am. The weapon was a Smerch or Tornado-S multiple rocket launcher.

The rockets hit residential areas. In the Sonyachnyi district, seven multi-storey apartment blocks were damaged, and in Shakhtarskyi the building of Lyceum No. 2 was hit. The dead were residents of the city. The wounded had blast injuries and contusions of varying severity.

Investigators say the sites that were hit were entirely civilian and had no military use. Ukrainian law enforcement says the Russian command's actions led to civilian deaths and to damage to sites that were not military targets.

In June 2026 Kuzovlev was served another notice of suspicion, over the missile strike on Kramatorsk on 27 June 2023.