Statement from Daria Morozova on the shelling of the settlement Verkhnetoretskoe by the AFU

Comments and statements of the Ombudsman News

This morning I learned that the armed formations of Ukraine opened artillery fire on the settlement Verkhnetoretskoe. It was the shelling with 120-millimetre mortars. The shelling damaged buildings, as well as power lines and a low-pressure gas line. Miraculously, no victims were among civilians.

This incident is a vivid example of the continuation of the trend set by the VFU in the past month. The unprecedented number of shelling that we can recently observe has already led to a large number of casualties among the civilians and, as a result, to the introduction of state of readiness and aggravation of the situation on the Contact Line.

On this incident, I prepared and sent letters to international human rights organizations. I call on the world community to give a proper legal assessment of actions by Ukraine 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 call on the Ukrainian side to immediately investigate and punish the perpetrators of this and other incidents related to the shelling of civilians.