ROSTOV-ON-DON, July 03. /ITAR-TASS/. Ukrainian shells exploded again at Russian border checkpoint Novoshakhtinsk in the gunfire at border-crossing point Dolzhansky, chief press officer of Federal Security Service border department in southern Russia’s Rostov Region Vasily Malayev told ITAR-TASS on Thursday.
“Shells hit the territory of Russia and exploded, the infrastructure was damaged. The incident occurred at 5.30am Moscow time, no casualties were reported,” Malayev said.
Attack on Gukovo checkpoint in Rostov Region
Russia's Investigative Committee (IC) opened a criminal case over the June 28 shelling of residential houses in Ukraine and checkpoint Gukovo in southern Russia’s Rostov Region.
“The investigation department of the Russian Investigative Committee in the Southern Federal District has filed a criminal case against unidentified offenders for attempted murder and murder of two and more people by an armed group,” IC spokesman Vladimir Markin said.
“According to the investigation, on June 28, servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Ukraine, armed members of the National Guard of Ukraine and militants of the Right Sector were shooting explosive shells from the territory of Ukraine at localities of the Rostov region: Shakhty-24 settlement of the town of Gukovo, Vasetsky farm of the Krasnosulinsky district, as well as Gukovo customs checkpoint with an aim to intended homicide of people located there,” Markin noted.
After the incident, traces of impact in the form of a shell crater were discovered near the gates of household No.105 on Kolkhoznaya Street of the Vasetsky farm, where a family of three lives. At least 11 metallic pieces of the shell were found in the crater. The house’s wall was damaged in at least ten spots.
In addition, a household in Shakhty-24 settlement has been partly damaged. Furthermore, there are damages on the administrative facility of the Gukovo customs checkpoint and multiple fragmentation damages from the shell in the service room, according to the investigation representative.
“Noteworthy, Ukrainian servicemen, armed members of the National Guard of Ukraine and Right Sector militants did not consummate their intended actions aimed directly at committing a crime — murdering people in localities of the Rostov region and people being at the customs checkpoint because of circumstances beyond their control. Casualties were avoided only thanks to the fact that all the affected people managed to hide from the shooting in safe places,” Markin emphasized.
An investigation and operational team has been set up to look into the incident. A set of investigative and operational actions is underway in order to identify those, who were shooting, and those, who were giving them orders.