US officials believe that Russia is trying to fabricate evidence regarding the strike on the former correctional colony No. 120 in the village of Yelenovka, which is under the control of the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic”. An unnamed American official familiar with the findings of the intelligence services told the AP news agency on Wednesday, August 3. U.S. intelligence officials have determined that Moscow is trying to create the impression that the Ukrainian side is responsible for the attack, which killed more than 50 people.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on August 3 that the organization is preparing a group of experts to investigate the deaths of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Yelenovka. Guterres stressed that specialists need unhindered access, which must be provided by both sides of the conflict.
Ukrainian prisoners of war from Azovstal
The territory of the former penal colony was shelled on July 29. Some of the Ukrainian servicemen who were taken captive from the territory were kept there. Mariupol plant “Azovstal” in the middle of May. As a result of the attack on Yelenovka, more than 50 people were killed, more than 70 – according to information from pro-Russian forces – were injured.
Russia and Ukraine accused each other of shelling. Thus, the Russian Federation stated that the Ukrainian military used to shell the colonies supplied by the United States HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems. The Ukrainian military denies any rocket or artillery strikes on this settlement. The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine claims that the explosion on the territory of the penitentiary, where Ukrainian prisoners of war were kept, was carried out by the hands of Wagner PMC fighters without the consent of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Official Kyiv on the same day called on the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to send an inspection mission to Yelenovka. The Russian Defense Ministry later said it had “officially invited” UN and ICRC experts to the scene to “conduct an objective investigation.” In turn, the ICRC indicated that they had not received a response to their request to visit the colony.
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The largest Russian strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine
Civilian targets in sight
In more than five months of a full-scale war, Russia has dealt many blows to Ukrainian civilian targets. Schools, hospitals, shopping centers, streets and squares, residential areas became the target of rockets, aerial bombs, artillery shells. The number of those killed and wounded in these attacks runs into the thousands.
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The largest Russian strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine
Horror of Vinnitsa
On July 14, a rocket attack was delivered on one of the central squares of Vinnitsa. Residential buildings, the House of Officers, and an office building were damaged. 24 people died, including three children: a four-year-old girl and two boys, aged 7 and 8. 182 victims applied for help. The Russian Federation stated that the target was the House of Officers, where allegedly “a meeting of the command of the Ukrainian Air Force with foreign suppliers of weapons” was held.
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The largest Russian strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine
Five-story building in Chasovoy Yar
The city of Chasov Yar in the territory of the Donetsk region controlled by Kyiv was shelled on the evening of July 9. The missile of the Iskander complex, originally designed to destroy well-defended strategic objects, hit residential buildings. The entrance of one high-rise building – a hostel – completely collapsed, another house was badly damaged. The bodies of 48 victims were recovered from the rubble, including a 9-year-old boy.
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The largest Russian strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine
Recreation center in Odessa region
On the night of July 1, the Russian army fired three X-22 cruise missiles at the Belgorod-Dnestrovsky district of the Odessa region. Two rockets hit the popular resort village of Sergeevka, destroying two recreation centers, one of which belonged to Moldova. Another rocket almost completely destroyed one of the sections of a five-story residential building. 22 people were killed, 30 were injured, including three children.
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The largest Russian strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine
Shopping center in Kremenchuk
On June 27, Tu-22M3 bombers of the Russian Air Force launched Kh-22 cruise missiles at Kremenchug. According to the version of the Russian Defense Ministry, the blow was delivered “on hangars with weapons and ammunition received from the United States and European countries” in the area of the Kredmash plant. One of the rockets destroyed the factory greenhouses and one of the workshops, the second hit the Amstor shopping and entertainment center, where hundreds of people were. 21 people died.
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The largest Russian strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine
Shelling of the railway station in Kramatorsk
On April 8, at the time of the rocket attack on the railway station in Kramatorsk, there were hundreds of people waiting for evacuation on its territory. 61 people were killed, including seven children, and dozens were injured. The Tochka-U missile was fired from the territory of the so-called “DPR”. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation stated that there were no missiles of this type in service with Russia, which was refuted by international investigators.
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The largest Russian strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine
Drama theater in Mariupol
On March 16, Russian aircraft destroyed the drama theater in the center of Mariupol by dropping heavy air bombs on the building. The people who were there were not saved by the word “Children”, written in huge white letters in front and behind the building. According to various sources, from 300 to 600 people died. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the theater was not bombed, and the explosion was the result of a provocation by fighters from the Azov regiment, who destroyed the building from the inside.
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The largest Russian strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine
Children’s hospital and maternity hospital in Mariupol
On March 9, Russian troops launched an airstrike on a maternity hospital and a children’s hospital in the center of Mariupol. As a result, 5 people died, including a pregnant woman with a child. At least 17 people were injured. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced a completely “staged provocation.” The Russian Foreign Ministry claimed that the hospital served as a stronghold for militants who expelled medical staff and women in labor from the building.
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The largest Russian strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine
Regional administration of Nikolaev
On March 29, an air strike hit the building of the regional administration of Nikolaev. As a result of a rocket hit, the central section of the building from the 1st to the 9th floors was completely destroyed. The fire didn’t happen. The explosion also damaged several nearby residential and administrative buildings. 36 people died. 34 bodies were pulled out from under the rubble, two more wounded later died in the hospital.
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The largest Russian strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine
Regional administration of Kharkiv
On March 1, Russian missiles hit the building of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration. As a result, ceilings were destroyed, windows were broken, and the roof was damaged. In total, 24 people died as a result of the strike, and about ten more were injured. The victims were not only people who were inside the building, most of which was destroyed, but also those who were passing by at the time of the impact.
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The largest Russian strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine
Number of civilian casualties
According to the UN, for the period from the beginning of hostilities to July 12, the death of 5,100 civilians in Ukraine, 346 of which are children, has been confirmed. The number of wounded civilians exceeded 6,500. The real number of civilian casualties is likely much higher, a UN official said.
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The largest Russian strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine
War crimes
According to the Geneva Conventions, war crimes that do not have a statute of limitations include, among other things, “deliberate attacks against the civilian population”, “attacking or shelling towns, villages, dwellings or buildings that are not protected and not military purposes, using any there was money.” Punishment of those guilty of war crimes is within the competence of the International Criminal Court.
Author: Vitaly Kropman
