MOSCOW, July 04. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia's Investigation Committee (IC) has instituted criminal proceedings upon the shelling at the Novoshakhtinsk checkpoint's customs station in Russia's southern Rostov region from the territory of Ukraine, IC spokesman Vladimir Markin told ITAR-TASS on Friday.
“On July 3, servicemen of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, members of Ukraine’s National Guard and the Right Sector opened fire at a customs station of the Novoshakhtinsk checkpoint in Russia’s southern Rostov region,” Markin said on Friday.
The investigation is underway to find out all circumstances of the incident, he said.
A bus terminal and a customs house were damaged by Ukrainian shells fired at Russian border checkpoint Novoshakhtinsk, chief press officer of the southern customs department Rayan Farukshin told ITAR-TASS on Thursday.
“Two facilities of customs infrastructure were damaged, including the bus terminal building where bus passengers are passing border controls and a terminal where cargo vehicles pass customs clearance operations,” he said. He added that bomb disposal technicians were searching through the buildings for dud ammunition.
Ukrainian shells exploded at Russian border checkpoint Novoshakhtinsk in the gunfire at border-crossing point Dolzhansky. “Shells hit the territory of Russia and exploded, the infrastructure was damaged. The incident occurred at around 5.30am Moscow time, no casualties were reported,” chief press officer of Federal Security Service border department in southern Russia’s Rostov-on-Don Region Vasily Malayev said. In his words, the border checkpoint was suspended.
This is the third criminal case over shelling of Russia’s territory by Ukrainian forces. On June 20, Russia launched a criminal case over mortar shelling of buildings, engineering facilities and communications at Russia’s Novoshakhtinsk checkpoint.
On June 30, the Investigation Committee instituted criminal proceedings upon mortar shelling of the Gukovo checkpoint.