24th May 2014: Andrea Rocchelli and Andrej Mironov are killed in Sloviansk. William Roguelon, seriously injured, survived after the assault.
Summer 2015: Since no feedback came from the Ukrainian authorities for more than one year after requests for information, Italian diplomatic representatives in Kiev and Pavia’s public prosecutor’s office, lead an international letters rogatory towards the Kiev Attorney.
May 2016: answering to the international letters rogatory, the Ukrainian authorities submitted to the Italian Ministry of Justice Ministero a substantial dossier in Ukrainian. In summary, it says it is impossible to know who killed Rocchelli and Mironov and injured Roguelon.
July 2017: Vitaly Markiv is arrested on charges of having been, together with others, part of the assault that was deadly for Rocchelli and Mironov.
17th May 2018: during the preliminary consultation at the Court of Pavia, the Judge rejects the nonsuit motion arisen by Markiv’s defense and decides the start of the trial.
December 2017 – January 2018: the Milan trial Court, appointed following the motion of the investigated Markiv’s Defense, for the re-examination of the legal action for the pre-trial detention order decided by the Pavia’s Public Prosecutor, on one hand rejected the Defence’s petition sentenced to cover the processual expenses, on the other hand confirmed again the warrant of the Pavia’s Public Prosecutor. In its report, the re-examination court concluded that «subsist momentous clues of guilt against the appealer [Markiv]» and that «it is not conceivable any attenuation of the pre-trial detention regime».
6th July 2018: first hearing of the trial at the Pavia’s Assize Court against Vitaly Markiv, indicted of Andrea Rocchelli’s murder, 24th May 2014. The Cesura photographers collective, the Italian Newspaper National Federation and the Journalist Lombardy Association joins the penal action as civil party.
14th September 2018: second hearing in Court. second hearing in court on A.R. family’s motion to the court to call into the proceeding the Ukrainian Government. The notification of the request to join the proceeding was dismissed for formal exemptions. The proceeding is adjourned for the notification to be submitted to the subject authorities according the procedure requested by those authorities.
23rd November 2018: third hearing in Court. Following to its summons, the Ukrainian Government, designated two defence attorneys. Their petition to refer again was dismissed by the judge. Pavia’s Public Prosecutor reported: a) repeated anonymous messages and phone calls in Ukrainian language just before the hearing; b) the “reversed” rogatory by Ukrainian authorities to the Italian Ministry of Justice, asking for the entire file of investigations so far to be sent to Ukraine and for Andy’s parents to be heard by a Public Prosecutor. With the aim of reducing costs and time, Public Prosecutor’s request to include in the case file of the proceeding some declarations given by witnesses for the defense has been granted, with no need of hearing them in the Court hall. On the defense motion instead, two Ukrainian senators and the driver of the car Andy and Andrei were traveling in will be heard. Two depositions followed: the first one, by the Pavia Carabinieri’s lieutenant Maurizio Pappalardo who explained the first investigation carried out, the second one by Luca Majocchi, EdilCeramica CEO, representative for the Zeus Ceramica factory in front of which Andy and Andrej were killed. Majocchi specified the positioning respectively the pro-Russian separatist and the Ukrainian nationalist armed groups in Spring 2014 within and outside the factory.