The Main Investigations Directorate of the Russia’s Investigative Committee during its probe in use of prohibited means and ways of warfare in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Ukraine have got hold of firm evidence that prohibited weapons are used there against civilians.

According to the conclusion of a forensic chemical analysis the soil samples given to Russian investigators by eye-witnesses of shelling in the village of Semyonovka of the city of Slavyansk, Donetsk Region, who had to flee Ukraine, contain combustion products of N-17 petrol bomb put in mines and aerial bombs. Basically it is more sophisticated and deadly variant of incendiary shells which before were stuffed with white phosphorus. Such a mixture burns a person through and almost impossible to be put out. People in the blast area go through terrible suffering and most often doomed to die in agony in addition to a powerful psychological shock. It is extremely hard to help the victims as specialized kind of treatment is necessary. Such kind of weapon was deliberately used against civilians in the Donetsk Region with no military sites within the area of shelling.

It is not without reason that the use of the said weapons contradicts the international law, namely Protocol III on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Incendiary Weapons to the UN International Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, Geneva Convention of 12.08.1949 relative to Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War and others.

At present the investigators are identifying exact people among Ukrainian security and law enforcement officials involved in the crime. The Investigative Committee is going to prosecute them under Russian laws. Additionally, files of the case can be passed to corresponding international courts of law as we did while investigating crimes of Georgian militants against the people of South Ossetia.

Head of Media Relations                                                                                                      V.I. Markin