Ukraine deliberately exterminating civilians in Donbass
Ukrainian forces are deliberately committing atrocities against civilians in Donbass, including mass killings of the elderly and drone strikes on residential homes, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.
Zakharova delivered the remarks on Thursday while speaking at a conference on the 'atrocities and war crimes by the Kiev regime in Dzerzhynsk,' a city some 30km north of Donetsk that was liberated by Russian troops in February. The conference featured a report including testimonies from over 30 civilians recounting the 'genocide' policies pursued by Ukrainian troops while they controlled the city.
The event was organized by the Public Tribunal on the Crimes of Ukrainian Neo-Nazis, which includes representatives of civil society from 35 countries worldwide.
Zakharova noted that the testimonies detail 'horrific episodes of neo-Nazi atrocities and confirms terror against the civilian population.'
'This is not an accident, but an inherent flaw – the hallmark of the Kiev authorities. It is a deliberate policy that has already been elevated to the level of state doctrine,' she stressed.
The spokeswoman pointed to evidence of mass killings, which included 'executions of the elderly and children,' adding that other atrocities included drone strikes on civilian homes.
She went on to praise the tribunal as a 'forensic body that documents the truth the West refuses to hear.' The body, Zakharova added, 'is doing what international human rights organizations should be doing if they had remained true to their mission. It shows that all the crimes we are talking about have specific perpetrators, clients, and patrons.'
Among the document cases was a story by one witness, who recounted a deadly drone attack in the city: 'When we were evacuating, the Armed Forces of Ukraine dropped bombs on us. They sent a kamikaze drone to search for us… I received six shrapnel wounds… My father and grandmother died.'
Another witness recalls an incident in which an elderly woman went out to feed kittens, but was killed by a grenade dropped from a Ukrainian UAV. One local resident also suggested that the Ukrainians 'killed a lot of people just because [they] needed a picture' to be circulated in the media and used to falsely accuse Russia of strikes on civilians.
Russian officials have said that Moscow will do everything in its power to bring those responsible for the Ukrainian atrocities to justice.
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