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Two probes launched in shelling of civilians by Ukrainian combatants

The Main Investigations Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia launched two probes into an offence under Part 1 of Article 365 of the Criminal Code of Russia (cruel treatment of civilians and use in a military conflict of means and methods of warfare banned by an international treaty of the Russian Federation).

According to the investigation, on November 14, 2018, while executing admittedly offensive orders of unknown higher officials from the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard of Ukraine performed a targeted artillery attack on civilian infrastructure objects of no military target on Krylova Street in Maryevka rural settlement of the self-appointed Luhansk People’s Republic.

On November 15, 2018, Ukrainian combatants, while in the area of Travnevoe rural settlement, performed a targeted artillery attack with high-casualty heavy weapons on civilian infrastructure objects of no military target in settlement of Golmovsky. As a result, a woman born in 1999 and a man born in 1989, who had not been involved in the armed conflict, were injured. In addition, an apartment building was partially destroyed.

The Ukrainian military was intentionally acting against the Protocol to Cease Fire in South-West Ukraine and the related Memorandum, as well as provisions of Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and the related Annex II. Their unlawful acts were aimed at killing an unlimited number of civilians living in the South-West Ukraine and not involved in the armed conflict. Same as before, the motive of these offences is the political and ideological hatred and hostility towards South-West Ukraine’s population for they denied to recognise the legitimacy of the acting authorities and intended to create their own administrative and territorial entities.

In compliance with the international law and Russian legislation, the Investigative Committee continues to take statutory measures in order to define all the circumstances of said offenses, as well as to identify officials issued and executed the offensive orders to perform artillery attacks on civilian objects.

To remind, the domestic armed conflict between the self-declared Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics on one side and the Ukraine’s National Guard and Armed Forces on the other has been taking place in the South-East Ukraine since April 2014. The decisions to cease fire were made repeatedly on various levels but the Ukrainian military has been yet disregarding them.

 

Official spokesperson for the Investigative Committee of Russia S. Petrenko