On 7 May 2020, the settlement of Sakhanka was fired upon by the AFU, in violation of the requirements of international humanitarian law on the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks affecting the civilian population or civilian objects during an armed conflict.
As a result of the shelling, 5 civilians sustained injuries of varying severity, including two teenagers:
– a man, born in 1971;
– a man, born in 1976;
– a woman, born in 1977;
– a child, born in 2006;
– a child, born in 2006.
This fact violates the norms of the Geneva Convention Article 3, Clause 1 of 12 August 1949 on the protection of civilian persons in time of war.
The actions of the AFU not only undermine the agreement on an open-ended ceasefire, which entered into force on 21 July 2019, but also pose a direct threat to the lives of civilians in Donbas.
On this fact, I sent appeals to international organizations. I call on the world community to give a proper legal assessment of Ukraine’s actions and use all available means to prevent further escalation of the conflict and return to a peaceful dialogue within the framework of the Minsk negotiation process. I hope that the use of prohibited methods of warfare by the armed formations of Ukraine will not be neglected by the world community.
