Ukraine's Presidential Administration has confirmed the shelling of Horlivka that killed several civilians on May 26.
Three civilians were killed and four injured in the attack, which separatist leaders have blamed on Ukrainian forces but the presidential administration says came from the separatist side. Two of the victims were children.
“This is not the first time we have seen well-targeted shooting around the city and villages that they temporarily control. This is done in order to accuse Ukrainian forces (of killing civilians), an allegation which is absolutely not true. Secondly, their goal is to destroy infrastructure there as much as possible, so as to justify the so-called ‘humanitarian aid’ convoys sent from Russia,” said Alexander Motuzyanik, the presidential administration’s spokesman on the situation in the war-torn east. Motuzyanik made the comments in an interview with Espreso.TV on May 28.
The shelling has been portrayed by Russian media as an attack on civilians by Ukrainian forces, with reports citing separatists as saying the mortars came from Ukrainian positions.
International monitors inspected the scene on May 28 and saw “nine crater impacts in three locations,” according to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s press service. Fragments were taken from the scene for testing to determine which side was responsible.
Horlivka, which is located in separatist-controlled territory in the Donetsk Oblast, remains a hot spot in the ongoing conflict that has claimed more than 6,000 lives.
