World community should finally give proper legal assessment of criminal actions of AFU in Donbass – Daria Morozova

Comments and statements of the Ombudsman News

A civilian resident of Horlivka became a victim of another war crime of the Ukrainian military personnel in Donbass. This morning, the AFU shelled the 6/7 mine settlement. One of the mines fired by the Ukrainian military hit the courtyard of a residential building. As a result, a 51-year-old local resident received a shrapnel wound in her thigh. The woman received the necessary medical assistance.

I would like to note that since the beginning of hostilities in Donbass, about 8000 residents of the Republic have received injuries of varying severity as a result of the shelling of the AFU. And all these people were not accidental victims, since the Ukrainian military purposefully hit civilian infrastructure and the residential sector. Today’s bombardment of Gorlovka is proof of that.

I draw the attention of international human rights bodies that such actions of the Ukrainian military personnel are a gross violation of the norms of international humanitarian law. In particular, the rules of the general protection granted to the civilian population in accordance with the provisions of the IV Geneva Convention. In addition, Ukraine continues shelling Donbass in spite of the Minsk agreements, ceasefire agreements, and thus deliberately provokes an escalation of the conflict.

Numerous examples of war crimes committed by the Ukrainian military in Donbass are reflected in the OSCE and UN reports. And I insist that the world community should finally give a proper legal assessment of the criminal actions of the AFU, and also use all available means to resolve the conflict in Donbass. Today it is absolutely clear that it is the principled position of the international community that could contribute to Kiev’s return to a constructive peaceful dialogue within the framework of the Minsk negotiation process.