Yesterday at 19:57
The Security Service of Ukraine and online investigative group Bellingcat presented what they say, is irrefutable evidence of Moscow’s involvement.
On January 24, 2015 artillery slammed into apartment buildings and roads in Mariupol. At least 29 civilians were killed and more than 90 were injured. It quickly emerged that the rockets were launched from a territory controlled by combined Russian army units and separatist forces – leading to some top United Nations officials classifying it as a war crime.
However, the individual Russian army officers who instructed, directed and supervised the rocket attack had not been identified until now.
On Monday, both open source data investigation group Bellingcat and Ukraine’s Security Service revealed evidence they say implicates around a dozen high-ranking Russian military personnel and their militant accomplices.
One of those is Alexander Mikhailovich Evtody – call sign ‘Pepel.’ Bellingcat’s team claim he was in direct charge of the artillery units which shelled the residential area.
Another of those named is Russian Colonel Alexander Iozhefovich Tsapliuk, call sign ‘Gorets’. Ukraine’s Security Service say he was in charge of coordinating the attack while located in the occupied Donetsk region.
Bellingcat says the investigation was made possible due to access to raw video and audio data that is being submitted by the Ukrainian government to the International Court of Justice as part of an ongoing legal case.
