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Two More Criminal Cases Initiated on Civilian Deaths and Injuries in Donbass due to Ukrainian Nationalists' Criminal Actions

The Investigative Committee of Russia has initiated two more criminal cases under Article 356 of the Russian Criminal Code (ill-treatment of civilians, use of means and methods prohibited by an international treaty in an armed conflict) in connection with new crimes perpetrated by Ukrainian nationalists. On March 22-24, they mounted massive precise artillery and mortar attacks using highly destructive heavy weapons against civilian infrastructure facilities in the cities of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics.

As a result of these actions, 11 residential buildings were damaged in Kirovsky and Petrovsky districts of Donetsk and in the urban settlement of Staromikhailovka; 5 civilians were injured. In Gorlovka, shells hit 10 residential buildings and power lines, in Dokuchaievsk – 15 residential buildings, buildings of a number of organizations, and a store. In the city of Yenakievo, the building of the Selkhoztekhnika enterprise was damaged. In Yasinovataya, railway facilities and 11 residential buildings were destroyed, one civilian was killed, 4 people were injured. In the village of Stepnoye, Maryinsky District, a civilian was wounded. 3 minors and one man were killed in a shelling of the village of Vinogradnoye near Mariupol. 19 people sought medical help.

In the LPR, as a result of shell hits and explosions in Pervomaisk, several maintenance facilities and residential buildings were damaged, 5 houses were damaged in the urban settlement of Kalinovo. Three residential buildings were damaged in the urban settlement of Donetsky near Kirovsk, two – in Stakhanov and Almaznaya.  Two civilians were wounded in a shelling of the city of Popasnaya.

Shelling of settlements with highly destructive heavy weapons of indiscriminate action by the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Ukrainian nationalist armed formations violate the provisions of Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the UN General Assembly, which proclaims the right of every person to life, liberty and personal inviolability. The Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and additional protocols thereto guarantee that the civilian population and individual civilians enjoy general protection from danger arising from military operations and must not be the target of attacks. In addition, the Ukrainian nationalists' actions obviously violate the Convention (IV) respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land and its annex: Regulations concerning the Laws and Customs of War on Land (the Hague, 18 October 1907), Article 25 of which prohibits attack or bombing by any means of unprotected cities, villages, dwellings, or buildings.

Investigative actions aimed at establishing all the circumstances and persons involved in committing these crimes are underway.