Incendiary Bombs Used Against Civilians in Donbass

Olga SHEDROVA | 13.06.2014 | 18:34

The prospects for crisis management in Ukraine are becoming more blur raising grave concern. European politicians under US pressure continue to put the blame on Russia for being behind the resistance to Kiev authorities. No matter that, the truth leaks out to information space. The journalists of many leading media outlets have gone to the Donetsk and Lugansk regions to see with their own eyes that there is no Russian military personnel there. The self-defense formations in the south-east are manned by local people. The government forces use artillery and aviation against civilians killing women and children.  Those who give orders are responsible for the crimes. Speaking in parliament, Sahra Wagenknecht, deputy chairperson of the Left Party, said there are four Neo-Nazi Svoboda Party members in the ministers’ cabinet headed by Arseniy Yatsenyuk. According to Ukraine’s government sources, the war in the south-east was started by former acting President Alexander Turchinov under the pressure exerted by the head of US Central Intelligence Agency who came to Kiev exactly for this purpose.  What has happened after Petro Poroshenko took office on June 7? Nothing!  Many remember the President Putin’s words he said in a televised interview with the French media before going to Normandy to take part in D-Day commemorations. According to Putin, the Ukrainian President-elect had a unique chance to stop the violence in eastern Ukrainian regions as he had no blood on his hands. Since then there have been intensive discussions about the Poroshenko’s plan for peaceful crisis settlement. Many people pinned hopes on it and were expecting impassionedly to see it enter in force. Talking to Time magazine, the new President of Ukraine let know his plans include further militarization of the country and refusal to observe the Budapest Treaty which says Ukraine is to remain a nuclear-free state. Poroshenko has a dream of «punishing» Russia.  A week has passed since his inauguration. The massive bombing of populated areas in the Slavyansk and Donetsk regions has intensified with the use of MLRS and artillery. Many thousands of refugees rushed to Russia. On June 12, Semionovka, a Slavyansk suburban town, became a target for incendiary bombs strikes. Thousands of refugees rushed to cross the Russian border. No doubt it’s nothing else but a military crime and a direct violation of the Convention on Prohibitions or Restrictions on the Use of Certain Conventional Weapons Which May Be Deemed to Be Excessively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects (Protocol III restricts incendiary weapons).  Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin urged the international community to react to the use of prohibited ammunition in Ukraine. He spoke specifically of projectiles with white phosphorus used by the Ukrainian army. «We think that the international community should pay attention to the use by Ukraine of prohibited ammunition in combat. This happened before too, and we are very much concerned about this», he said on June 12. The draft U.N. resolution on Ukraine proposed by Russia condemns attacks on residential quarters and civilian facilities in the east of the country and voices concern over the use of prohibited ammunition, including incendiary bombs, during the army operation. The document urges all sides to refrain from actions that threaten the life and security of people and civilian infrastructure. It also calls for an immediate stop to all violence, lasting ceasefire and the implementation of the roadmap proposed by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for the resolution of the crisis in Ukraine. The discussions on the draft continued on June 13.  But Kiev goes on with hostile rhetoric. The statements made by Ukrainian Defense Minister are shocking. According to what he told the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian parliament) in early May, Kiev had two plans to implement. One was scorched earth tactics that envisioned the use of artillery, MLRS, aircraft and helicopters to concentrate massive fire against the enemy positions. After that a flag could be raised to report the mission was accomplished. He said the leadership chose another policy – to block and then gradually exterminate the subversive elements along with preventing civilian population from being involved in combat actions. But in reality the intent to keep civilians away from combat zone is done by the implementation of the first scenario the Minister mentioned. As Slavyansk dwellers and journalists report, the city is a target for indiscriminate bombings. As a result of using incendiary munitions Semionovka has been practically razed to the ground.  Ukrainian troops fire on the buses under white flags taking women, children and wounded away from Slavyansk. That’s what a witness reported on June 12, «Two vehicles under white flags with children were fired on by Ukrainian troops. One of them turned around. The children managed to get out and were picked up by another bus. It took nine children and their mothers to the south. It also carried away two women wounded by Ukrainian soldiers. A woman with a broken hand could not get from the vehicle hit. The territory is under control of government troops and self-defense units from Slavyansk cannot get there to help».  Ukrainian President Poroshenko has told the world he has a crisis management plan. It’s time to ask directly – is it exactly what he had in mind talking about peaceful settlement in the country’s south-east?http://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2014/06/13/incendiary-bombs-used-against-civilians-in-donbass.html