On February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation launched a military operation in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin called its goal “to protect people who have been subjected to genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years”. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, as of March 25, the Armed Forces completed the main tasks of the first stage — significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine and transgressed to achieve the main goal — to liberate the DPR and LPR. Units of the DPR and LPR operate in the region together with the Russian military.
In the area of the Donetsk front, offensive operations were constantly carried out on the positions of the Ukrainian armed formations. And finally, on May 29, 2022, the Ukrainian military switched to the massive use of artillery throughout the territory of Donetsk.
On May 30, 2022, at about 10:30 a.m. (Moscow time), the Voroshilovskiy district of Donetsk was subjected to massive artillery shelling using the Smerch MLRS. The shells hit the school number 22 (1 Zelenaya Str.) and multidisciplinary lyceum No. 5 named after Boyko (5 Shkolny Blvd.)
As a result of the shelling, five civilians were killed: a woman born in 1952, a woman born in 1956, a woman born in 1967, a woman whose year of birth is unknown, and a man whose year of birth is unknown.
Eighteen people received injuries of varying severity:
— a girl born in 2019;
— men born in 1932, 1969, 1960;
— women born in 1984, 1962, 1944, 1999, 1964, 1961, 1977, 2001, 1958, 2001, 1967, 1983, 1999, 1988.
This investigation will examine in detail the shelling of the multidisciplinary lyceum No. 5 named after Boyko (hereinafter Lyceum No. 5), where a projectile with a cluster warhead was used. Shell hit into school No. 22 will be considered in general terms as a fact that completes the picture of what had happened.
It follows from the above that on May 30, 2022, at about 10:30 a.m. (MSK) the Voroshilovskiy district of Donetsk came under artillery fire from a BM-30 Smerch multiple launch rocket system (or its Ukrainian modification – the Olkha MLRS). The shells flew in a direction from north-west to south-east (azimuth 315 degrees). The shelling was carried out using 300 mm rocket-propelled ammunition. In turn, the Donetsk Lyceum No. 5 considered in this investigation was hit by a cluster munition – a 9M55K rocket projectile.
The units of the 107th Rocket Artillery Brigade under the command of Colonel Alexander Kelembet could be in the disposition of the shelling sector. The latter is responsible for the actions of his subordinates.
The repeated shelling of School No. 22 and Lyceum No. 5 carried out by Ukrainian armed formations on June 5, 2022, speaks of the criminal intention of the Ukrainian high command to attack civilians in Donbass.