In February 2015, active hostilities took place in the Donbass. Since February 10, 2015, the situation has been particularly tense. Ukrainian armed formations (hereinafter referred to as UAF), using multiple launch rocket systems (hereinafter referred to as MLRS), artillery, tanks and mortars, continued an active offensive in all directions, inflicted fire strikes on the positions of the LPR and DPR armed formations, and on densely populated residential areas and infrastructure facilities. There was heavy fighting in the vicinity of Debaltseve settlement, where a significant UAF group was surrounded. To pull the forces of the armed formations of the LPR and DPR from the Debaltseve Cauldron, the UAF launched an attack in the Luhansk direction.
In the evening on February 12, 2015, the eastern Quarters of Lugansk sustained massive artillery shelling: Volkov, Gagarin, 60th anniversary of the formation of the USSR, Dzerzhinsky and Vostochny residential Quarters.
As a result, infrastructure facilities were damaged: a gas pipeline, power lines, a building of the municipal boiler station and a heating main, a fire station, and a kindergarten. Significant damage was done to the housing stock. As a result of this shelling, three people were killed and at least five people were injured.
In the daily report based on information received as of February 13, 2015 at 18:00 (Kyiv time), Special Monitoring Mission (hereinafter SMM) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (hereinafter OSCE) confirmed that three civilians (two men and a woman) had died as a result of the previous night’s shelling. In addition, SMM estimated that Grad rockets were fired from north north-east.
This investigation will consider the shelling of the eastern residential Quarters of Luhansk with the use of Grad MLRS on February 12, 2015. The shelling began at approximately 20:20 (local time).
It follows from the above that on February 12, 2015 at around 20:20 local time, the eastern residential Quarters of the city of Luhansk sustained shelling with the use of Grad MLRS, resulting in the civilians’ deaths and injuries.
As a result of the analysis of news videos and information from the Internet, it was found that the 2nd MB of the 17th STBr, operating under cover of rocket-launching artillery from the brigade artillery group, could be located in the sector from which the shelling was carried out.
In 2015, the general command of the 17th STBr was carried out by Colonel Sergiy Litvinov, precisely he is responsible for the actions of his subordinates. In addition, his deputy Volodymyr Dribnokhod could have been related to the incident.
The direct command of the 2nd MB of the 17th STBr was carried out by battalion commander Sergiy Sukhina. Also, Yuri Bass, deputy commander of the 2nd MB for work with personnel, may have information about the shelling considered in this investigation.