MOSCOW, December 6. /TASS/. Russia’s Investigative Committee has identified the Ukrainian military officials involved in the shelling of Russia’s territory in 2014, Committee Spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko told TASS.
"Our investigators together with the Federal Security Service and the Interior Ministry have established that commander of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade of the Ukrainian Military Forces Andrei Grishchenko, who is now head of the ‘South’ Operational Command of the Ukrainian Army, as well as commander of the 27th Rocket Artillery Regiment Colonel Valery Ismailov have been involved in organizing the shelling," Petrenko said.
They have been charged in absentia depending on their role in the crime under Articles 105 and 317 of the Russian Criminal Code (murder, attempted murder, attempt on the lives of law enforcers).
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The Investigative Committee continues to look into the shelling of Russia’s territory in the June to August period, 2014, that wounded many people while an elderly resident of the city of Donetsk (Russia’s Rostov region) died when his house came under the Ukrainian military’s fire.
"It has been established that these attacks involved large caliber weapons including self-propelled artillery platforms and multiple rocket launchers," the Investigative Committee spokesperson said. According to her, "in some cases, the Ukrainian military acted like terrorists usually do, re-striking crowded areas." For instance, in Petrenko’s words, when a group of investigators arrived at a place that had come under Ukrainian military’s fire, they were shelled with mortars. "The number of shells was growing which shows that there was an artillery controller," Petrenko noted.
Dozens of sites have been examined during the investigation, 140 forensic examinations have been conducted, over 1,000 witnesses have been questioned. "Taking into consideration all the collected evidence, it is clear that the Ukrainian military was acting deliberately. No hostilities were carried out in the areas that came under their fire, there were only civilian facilities. At the same time, the number of artillery salvos shows that Russia’s territory was bombarded deliberately," the Investigative Committee spokesperson said.
"Despite the fact that the Ukrainian authorities is inclined to turn a blind eye to the specific crimes against the country’s Russian-speaking population as well as Russian citizens, the Investigative Committee will continue to establish the circumstances surrounding the crimes in which the Ukrainian military officials are involved," Petrenko concluded.