On July 27, 2014, Horlivka sustained artillery shelling three times.
At 5:30 a.m. local time the first artillery shelling was conducted. The center of Horlivka and the private sector of the village of Korolenko were affected. In the center of Horlivka, residential buildings were damaged, and the building of a drug treatment clinic laboratory was hit.
At 12:30 local time, the center of Horlivka came under massive artillery fire for the second time that day.
At 19:00 local time, the next artillery shelling of the town of Horlivka occurred and caused repeated damage to buildings and structures located in Pobedy Ave., Hertsena St., Rudakova St., Lenina St., and others.
In total, on July 27, 2014, in Horlivka, 22 civilians were killed by artillery shelling, and 43 people got injuries of varying degrees of severity.
The largest number of civilians were injured as a result of the artillery shelling that occurred at 12:30. Shells exploded near the Melodiya public transport stop (Pobedy Ave.); spontaneous market, near the ATB store (Pobedy Ave.); in Kommunarov Square, near school No. 85. As a result, 13 civilians were killed and more than 30 civilians were injured.
This investigation focuses on an artillery attack that occurred on July 27, 2014 at 12:30 (local time).
On July 27, 2014 at 12:30 the town of Horlivka came under artillery fire from the north. BM-21 Grad Multiple Launch Rocket Systems were used for shelling. The shelling was carried out from a distance close to the maximum.
The entire territory of the shelling sector was under the control of the armed formations of Ukraine. Moreover, in this sector there was at least one unit of the BM-21 Grad MLRS, belonging to the 93rd Independent Mechanized Brigade of the UAF.
The person directly in command of the above-mentioned vehicle was the sergeant major of the 93rd IMBr missile battalion, Anton Dmitrievich Nikityuk.
Colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleg Mikhailovich Mikats was the commander of the 93rd IMBr in 2014.
NGO “FD” believes that responsibility for this specific crime, and for all previous war crimes committed by paramilitary forces of Ukraine within the framework of the so-called “anti-terrorist operation”, along with the above-mentioned individuals, shall be borne by the military and political leadership of Ukraine, including the President of Ukraine (P.A. Poroshenko), Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (from 16.12.2014 — A.V. Turchynov), Minister of Defense of Ukraine (from 14.10.2014 – S.T. Poltorak), Chief of the General Staff — the UAF Commander-in-Chief (from 03.07.2014 — V.N. Muzhenko).
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