On February 5, I became aware that Ukrainian armed forces carried out mortar shelling against Gorlovka. Not to mention that this is a direct violation of the Geneva Convention, namely, article 13, concerning the protection of civilians, it is horrifying that the attack was targeted against the territory of a school and its bomb shelter. Fortunately, none of the six people in the shelter was injured. At the moment, due to the fact that explosive objects are still there on the territory of the educational institution, a group of sappers is working on the spot.
The actions of the AFU not only undermine the unlimited ceasefire, which entered into force on July 21, 2019, but also pose a threat to the lives of civilians in Donbass. Such steps can be regarded either as the inability of the Ukrainian leadership to influence its own armed forces or as their direct approval of violation of international humanitarian law.
In any event, I will inform international human rights organizations about the incident in order to prevent further reoccurrences. The DPR adheres to its obligations in peaceful settlement of the conflict, and if Ukraine does too, then all the perpetrators must be held accountable.
