Russia accuses two Ukrainian officers of shelling its territory
A Russian Investigative Committee has identified officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who are allegedly involved in shelling Russian territory from June to August 2014, the official website of the committee stated. It was reported that dozens of inspections of crime scenes and 140 forensic investigations were carried out and more than 1000 witnesses were interviewed.
“The results of these investigative actions have revealed that the Commander of the 72nd separate mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Andrey Grishchenko, who currently serves as the Head of the South Operational Command of the Ukrainian Army, and the Commander of 27th Rocket Artillery Regiment of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Colonel Valery Ismailov are involved in organizing the shelling,” the report stated.
The report emphasizes that Russian territory was shelled by heavy weapons, namely self-propelled guns and multiple rocket launchers. Depending their roles, Grishchenko and Ismailov were charged in absentia of committing crimes under Article 105 and 317 of the Russian Criminal Code: murder, assassination attempt and attempt on the lives of law enforcement officers.
Earlier, Russia initiated criminal proceedings against seven commanders of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The Investigative Committee initiated another criminal case against the Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Stepan Poltorak and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Viktor Muzhenko, for genocide.