You're reading: Military prosecutor blames Ilovaisk tragedy, in which 366 soldiers were killed, on Russia alone

Chief of Ukraine’s Military Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) Anatoliy Matios has said there is no reason to blame Ukrainians for the tragedy in Ilovaisk because Russia is the only guilty party.

“I am ready to invite any legal specialists to come check out our investigation of the tragedy. I vouch for our investigation completely, and will swear this with my hand on a bible. There is no reason to blame Ukrainian citizens for the tragedy that occurred after the direct intervention of Russian troops,” Matios said in an interview published by the Kyiv-based e-zine Sensor.net.

Matios said on August 24, 2014 members of Ukraine’s Anti-Terrorist Operation force suffered significant losses as a result of shelling by Russian military formations near Ilovaisk.

According to the official statistics of the Ukrainian Main Military Prosecutor’s Office, the events near Ilovaisk in Donetsk region in August 2014, killed 366 Ukrainian army servicemen and law enforcement officers, 429 were injured, and 128 were taken prisoner. The material damage suffered by Ukraine in the Ilovaisk operation stood at nearly Hr 300 million.