Ukraine used phosphorus incendiaries
cluster bombs against cities. Ukrainian troops have on many occasions
used incendiary weapons and cluster
bombs against militia-held cities. Acts
that are banned under the international
law regulating warfare. The russian
military said
the accusation was voiced on friday by
major general victor posnicker, the
deputy commander of the chief operations
branch of the russian general staff.
Earlier some media reports claimed that
munitions which are not allowed to be
used against civilian targets were used
in eastern ukraine by the Kiev troops in
their assault on armed militias.
According to the general the russian
military are certain of a number of such
attacks by ukrainian troops. Those include artillery shelling with
incendiary shells on june 12th in Slavionsk, on june 24th and june 29th in Semionica and on july 7th in Lesitiansk. There were also air strikes with
incendiary bombs on june 21st in Slaveonsk and Kramatorsk and on july 23
in Donetsk and shelling with cluster
shells on june 24th in Semionica.
We have sufficient proof that in the
cities and villages of ukraine i
mentioned ammunition based on phosphorus
was used, poznikir said. In all those instances characteristic
fast falling clusters of sparks were
spotted in the air and massive fires on
the ground were reported, proving that
those were not illumination flares.
The evidence behind the ministry's
assessment includes eyewitness accounts, injuries sustained by the victims of the
attacks and media reports from ukraine. The russian general said
the incendiaries were used against
residential areas where only civilians
were present at the time. Posnikir Stressed, we believe the ukrainian side wanted to
produce a demoralizing effect on the
people and inflict serious damage to
communal infrastructure which would
create the conditions for a humanitarian
disaster.
Most of the incidents mentioned by the
general happened in or near Slaveonsk
once the most defended strongholds of
the ukrainian militia which for two
months held out against the siege by
ukrainian troops. The city was eventually abandoned by
militia forces which regrouped and
fortified other ukrainian cities.
Those are currently under ukrainian
attack the use of incendiary weapons
against civilians or military objects
located in civilian areas is forbidden
by protocol 3 of the UN convention on
conventional weapons. Ukraine is a signatory to the protocol. Cluster munitions are prohibited by the
convention on cluster munitions but
ukraine did not ratify that agreement.
