Evidence of Russian involvement in the attack on the humanitarian mission of the Red Cross in Donetsk region has been obtained, the Prosecutor General's Office said on Saturday, UNN reports.
Details
A pre-trial investigation is underway in the criminal proceedings initiated over the violation of the laws and customs of war combined with premeditated murder (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
"On September 12, 2024, the Russian army committed another war crime in the Donetsk region. Troops of the aggressor state used cannon artillery to attack 3 vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the village of Viroliubivka, Kostiantynivka Local Government Area, during the distribution of humanitarian aid. As a result of the shelling, 5 employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross were injured. Three men died directly at the scene of the attack. Two of their colleagues sustained shrapnel wounds and mine-blast injuries," the prosecutor's office said.
Law enforcement officers reportedly "identified two places where artillery shells hit and one place where the UAV hit." "The fragments of the said ammunition and the remains of the unmanned aerial vehicle were removed from the scene," the statement said.
"Based on the results of investigative actions, inspection of the scene, examinations and interrogations of witnesses, it was established that the artillery shelling was carried out by 2 high-explosive artillery shells of 152-mm caliber and an unmanned barrage munition "Lancet", which is only in service with the Russian Armed Forces," the Prosecutor General's Office said.
The 152-mm shells were used in tandem with a drone that has a laser rangefinder and can detect and barrage a target on its own. This not only explains the wreckage of the Lancet UAV found at the scene, but also indicates a deliberate attack on the vehicles and personnel of the International Committee of the Red Cross
Given the traces of damage to surrounding buildings and cars, as well as the recorded places of impact of the ammunition, the direction of arrival is preliminarily determined.
"According to the investigation, the firing positions of the artillery units were probably located near the village of Yahidne, Bakhmut district, Donetsk region, a territory currently occupied by Russian troops," the statement said.
According to the prosecutor's office, "in the occupied territory from which the shot was fired, the following units are involved in hostilities: 1065th artillery regiment of the 98th airborne division; artillery unit of the 200th separate motorized rifle brigade (omsbr)".
"These units are armed with artillery systems for firing 152 mm shells and Lancet attack UAVs," the prosecutor's office said.
Addendum
On September 18, 2024, in order to prevent similar facts of shelling and possible loss of life during the delivery of humanitarian aid, the Donetsk Regional Defense Council introduced a ban on the movement of representatives of charitable organizations in the frontline communities of the region without the appropriate approval of the RMA.