EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell condemned the shelling of a kindergarten in Stanytsia Luhanska in Kiev-controlled territory. Information about this follows from the statement of the EU Foreign Service.
“The European Union categorically condemns reports of artillery shelling of a kindergarten in Stanytsia Luhanska. Such indiscriminate shelling of civilian infrastructure is completely unacceptable and represents a clear violation of the Minsk agreements,” Borrell said on Thursday, February 17.
In addition, the head of European diplomacy called for an immediate end to the escalation of violence in the region.
The statement emphasizes that the European Union calls for full access to the conflict zone for OSCE observers.
Earlier that day, the press center of the Ukrainian headquarters of the Joint Forces Operation reported on Facebook about the shelling of the village. It was said that the shells hit the building of the kindergarten, the communal infrastructure was also damaged – half of the settlement was left without power supply.
The US Embassy in Ukraine, commenting on the situation, accused Russia of shelling the Kiev-controlled Stanitsa Luhanska in the Donbass, calling the Russian side an “aggressor”.
According to the latest data, the situation on the line of contact in Donbass has escalated significantly. On Thursday morning, the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics reported heavy shelling by Ukrainian security forces, including heavy weapons. In the village of Nikolaevka, a gas pipeline was damaged and a power line was interrupted. Also on Thursday, the village of Yelenovka in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) came under fire. The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) almost came close to the settlement and opened machine-gun fire. The representative of the people’s militia of the DPR, Oleg Nikitin, said that the Ukrainian side, grossly violating the truce, is firing and deliberately provoking the resumption of hostilities in the Donbass.
At the same time, it was noted that the Ukrainian side will try to spread fakes about the actions of the militias and the involvement of Russia. Thus, the representative of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) in the political subgroup of the contact group on resolving the situation in eastern Ukraine, Rodion Miroshnik, indicated that the reports of the Ukrainian side about the damage to the kindergarten in Stanytsia Luhanska are misinformation.
He pointed to several indications that the footage shown by the UAF was staged. In particular, Miroshnik noted that the weapons used to punch a hole in the wall of the kindergarten were not tried on and not fixed by observers, there is only a hole in the wall, but there are no consequences of the explosion. The windows in the building are intact, which means that they shot with a blank and almost point-blank, the garden is too far from the line of contact with the LPR. From mortars – do not get it.
According to Viktor Vodolatsky, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots, provocations began to be organized by irregular units of the Ukrainian military located in the area of Stanytsia Luhanska and the city of Zolote.
Since 2014, the Kiev authorities have been conducting a military operation against the inhabitants of Donbass, who refused to recognize the results of the coup d’état and the new government in Ukraine. At the same time, Kiev blames Moscow for the current situation. Russia has repeatedly stated that it is not a party to the intra-Ukrainian conflict. The issues of its settlement are being discussed in the Minsk and Normandy formats.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
