KIEV. 9 Aug. UNN. The monitoring mission of the UN on human rights in Ukraine has documented cases of killings and torture of Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers, deprived of combat capability, during the events in Ilovaisk in August 2014. This was during the presentation of the thematic report of the UN monitoring mission on human rights in Ukraine, said the head of the UN mission Fiona Fraser, the correspondent of UNN.
“We have documented cases of killings and torture of Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers, deprived of combat capability. On August 29 Ukrainian forces began to retreat from Ilovaysk and the surrounding area once was surrounded by armed groups, as reported by Ukrainian soldiers, reinforced by troops and weapons from Russia. Shortly after the departure of the column Ukrainian forces came under fire from heavy weapons, small arms and light weapons – hundreds of Ukrainian troops were killed or wounded. Most military personnel with whom interviews were conducted by the UN office for human rights, claimed that they were attacked and captured Russian soldiers. We got the message about the murder of 3 Ukrainian officials after they surrendered on 29 August 2014,” – said Fraser.
She added that, according to reports received, three Ukrainian soldiers “was probably killed, despite the fact that they are deprived of combat capability”.
“We also documented the cases of enforced disappearance of a military doctor, a male, with the result that he may have died. The Ukrainian military personnel, including wounded, who were taken on 29 and 30 August 2014, during the retreat from Ilovaysk, during the two days held in the temporary Assembly points located in an open field near a zone of combat actions. At least four wounded Ukrainian servicemen and dobrovoltsev died due to the lack of adequate medical care,” added Fraser.
She also said that after about 300 captured Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers were taken to three detention centres in Donetsk and one in the Snow, who “were under the control of armed groups”.
“The conditions of detention were inhuman and degrading and has reached a level of ill-treatment, in particular due to overcrowding, lack of daylight, lack of fresh air, inadequate sanitation, insufficient number or the lack of food and lack of medical care,” – said Fraser, and added that, according to reports, the battalions of volunteers are kept in worse conditions than the soldiers.
“During the interrogation of captured military personnel and volunteers had been tortured with the purpose of obtaining information, punishment for joining a volunteer battalion, or to force them to join the armed groups,” said Frazier.
However, she said that the monitoring mission of the UN on human rights was established and the cases of killings and torture of civilians and persons deprived of combat capability, in Ilovaisk in August 2014. However, according to her, it did not have a mass or systematic.
We will remind, the UN has said that the investigation of the Ilovaisk does not fully reflect human rights violations.