WASHINGTON, August 10. /TASS/. The international community must see the Ukrainian government’s crimes against its own people, Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov said.
"They do not stop attributing to us the deeds of the thugs from Kiev. The time has long come to truthfully show the crimes of the Kiev regime to the world, calling it to account for atrocities, primarily against its population," the ambassador said.
He also rejected the US Department of State’s attempts to accuse Russia of planting mines on the territory of Ukraine.
"Washington unfairly holds us responsible for mining the territory of the Republic. In the Russophobic campaign, the Americans surpassed themselves by comparing the actions of the Russian Armed Forces with the tactics of ISIS [outlawed in Russia] in Syria. We were accused, among other things, of blocking access to farmland. We strongly reject these insinuations," the ambassador said.
Mines and explosives from United States
The Russian diplomat went on to say that "during the negotiations on grain exports, the international community has already made sure that the Ukrainians themselves mined the coastal waters of the Black Sea."
"This practice extends to numerous social and infrastructure facilities. In particular, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are installing explosive devices on the territory of schools and kindergartens, literally dotting forests and fields with mines in various directions. By the way, some of the ammunition (for example, Claymore and C-4) is supplied from the USA," he continued. "Ukrainian terrorists are firing shells equipped with Butterfly anti-personnel high explosive mines (PFM-1) at the cities of Donbass. More than 30 people, including children and elderly people, have already been blown up on them."
According to Antonov, such actions "clearly demonstrate the attitude of the Zelensky regime towards the population of those lands that Kiev would like to consider its own."
"As for farmland, there is evidence of repeated targeted arson of crops by Ukrainian formations. Even helicopters are used for this, scattering heat traps," he continued. "All this proves that the real situation is the exact opposite of what the State Department states. However, this does not stop the organizers of the disinformation campaign against Russia."
The statement came as a response to a media question about the US Department of State’s plans to allocate $89 million to the Kiev government for demining Ukrainian territories.
The PMF-1 Lepestok (Petal) is an antipersonnel pressure-type landmine, which can be deployed remotely by rocket artillery. The body of a mine is made of plastic in colors which make them extremely difficult to detect. The mines are extremely dangerous for civilians as their unusual shape makes it difficult to see a dangerous object.
In May 2005, Ukraine ratified the Ottawa Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction. However, Ukrainian forces have recently been shelling DPR cities with Lepestok mines almost every day.