"The last [OSCE] report which was presented in Vienna, confirmed that they were civilians, they were shot at point-blank range, and they could have been abused prior to it. We are very concerned by all this. We cannot accuse anyone as there are no results of the investigation yet, but strongly demand an investigation, an open and independent one," Lavrov told reporters at the UN.
The minister stressed that the investigation should not end up like "the tragedies the responsible for which are being defended," referring to so-called "the Maidan sniper case, and the Odesa, Mariupol tragedy and the Malaysian Boeing."
Lavrov added that he has discussed the issue with UN General-Secretary Ban Ki-moon, OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier and OSCE Chairman-in-Office Didier Burkhalter.
On September 23, three mass graves, filled with bodies of massacred civilians, killed execution-style, were discovered near the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk. Two graves were unearthed on the territory of a coal mine near the village Nyzhnia Krynka north-east of Donetsk, and another one inside the village.
According to Prime Minister of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Aleksander Zakharchenko, two of the graves contain bodies of civilians. Another one is filled with killed independence forces and Ukrainian soldiers. About 40 bodies have been unearthed so far, Zakharchenko said.
On Wednesday, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission investigating the site of the mass graves also found signs indicating that civilians were among the victims. OSCE also reported that the crime could have taken place in late August.
Moscow called the massacre a war crime and suggested that pro-Kiev National Guard volunteers might have been involved in the incident.[ria.ru]
26/9/14
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All cases of mass burial sites to be thoroughly investigated — Ukrainian Foreign Ministry....
ReplyDeleteKIEV, September 30. /ITAR-TASS/. Kiev will carry out an investigation into all cases of mass burial sites in Donbass, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Yevgeny Perebeinos said on Tuesday.
“All cases of mass graves must and will be thoroughly investigated as soon as we receive unhampered access to the sites where they have been found,” Perebeinos said.
Ukraine “is ready to cooperate with our partners, including with the OSCE”, he added.
At the same time, Perebeinos described Ukrainian servicemen’s involvement in mass graves as “unfounded provocation”...................http://en.itar-tass.com/world/752049
30/9/14