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Probes launched into shelling of civilians in Donbass

During the non-international military conflict in Donbass, the Ukrainian Armed Forces continue to commit unlawful acts against the civilian population, in violation of the Minsk Protocol and the follow-up Memorandum; provisions of the Convention on Protection of Civilian Persons in Times of War and its Additional Protocol II; Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons, which May be Deemed to be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects, and its Additional Protocol II.

According to the Investigative Committee, on October 10, 2019, while executing admittedly offensive orders of higher officials, military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard of Ukraine had performed a targeted artillery attack with the use of mortars and grenade launchers on civilian infrastructure that is not a military target on Krasny Partizan Street in Zaitsevo rural settlement, Nikitovsky District of the town of Gorlovka of the self-appointed Donetsk People’s Republic. On October 16, 2019, facilities of social structure came under shelling on the Pustelnikov Street of the town of Gorlovka. As a result of the shelling, two civilians were injured - a 61-year-old woman and a 64-year-old man.

In addition, one more fact was recorded of mining of civilian objects by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in order to inflict harm and intimidation on the people of Donbass. On the territory of the «Novodevichy» cemetery in the city of Donetsk, under the fence of one of the burials, they installed a hand grenade. On October 12, residents who were not involved in the armed conflict cleaned up the graves and, as a result of contact with the indicated ammunition, it was blown up. Two women and a man received multiple shrapnel wounds.

Based on said evidence, the Main Investigations Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia launched three probes under Part 1 of Article 365 of the Criminal Code of Russia (use of banned means and methods of warfare).

Currently, the Investigative Committee of Russia continues to establish all the circumstances of the indicated offences, as well as other facts of criminal activity by Ukrainian military personnel against the civilian population of Donbass.

 

Official spokesperson

Of the Investigative Committee of Russia S. Petrenko