Luhansk refugee convoy attack
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On 18 August 2014, during the war in Donbas, a convoy of
refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.
s fleeing heavy fighting near Luhansk, Ukraine, was hit by an artillery strike. At least 17 people were killed in the strike which the Ukrainian government blamed on insurgents affiliated with the Luhansk People's Republic. The insurgents denied striking any convoy and blamed the attack on the Ukrainian government.


Background

The convoy was struck near the village of Novosvitlivka, in Krasnodon Raion. The village is southeast of Luhansk city, and is a vital crossroads. Government forces said they had recaptured it from the insurgents on 14 August, but fighting in the area continued.


Events

The convoy was made up of refugees fleeing the intense fighting in the insurgent-occupied city of Luhansk, which was under siege by government forces. The vehicles were flying white flags, to indicate that they were carrying civilians. Within the convoy, there were also some military lorries provided by the
Armed Forces of Ukraine , imports = , exports = , history = , ranks = Military ranks of Ukraine , country=Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Збро́йні си́ли Украї́ни), most commonly known ...
. It was travelling on the road between Novosvitlivka and the neighbouring village of Khryashchuvate. A spokesman for the Armed Forces said that the insurgents had been warned that a "convoy with peaceful citizens would be passing" through the area. On this road, it was struck by mortar and Grad rocket fire. According to the Ukrainian government, the convoy was struck with such force that the people inside the vehicles were "burned alive", and that it was entirely destroyed. They said that separatist insurgents affiliated with the Luhansk People's Republic were responsible for the attack, and that the insurgents had lain in wait to ambush the convoy. They also said that they suspected that the insurgents had used a Russian-made Uragan missile system to carry out the attack. Colonel Andriy Lysenko stated that the insurgents "had perpetrated a bloody crime" with weapons supplied from Russia. According to the
Donetsk People's Republic The Donetsk People's Republic ( rus, Донецкая Народная Республика, Donetskaya Narodnaya Respublika, dɐˈnʲetskəjə nɐˈrodnəjə rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə; abbreviated as DPR or DNR, rus, ДНР) is a Territorial ...
(DPR) deputy prime minister
Andrei Purgin Andrei Yevgenyevich Purgin (russian: Андрей Евгеньевич Пургин, born 26 January 1972) is a Ukrainian activist, cofounder of the Donetsk Republic organization along with Aleksandr Tsurkan and Oleg Frolov. Until 4 September 201 ...
, the area where the attack took place had been constantly barraged by Ukrainian artillery in recent days. He also said that it was the Ukrainian government that was at fault for the attack, and that insurgent forces lacked the "ability to send Grads into that territory". DPR prime minister Aleksandr Zakharchenko stated, "The shelled refugee convoy is a canard. No refugee convoy was at the moment shelled by the DPR or Luhansk People’s Republic." A spokesman for the government military operation in
Donbas The Donbas or Donbass (, ; uk, Донба́с ; russian: Донба́сс ) is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. Parts of the Donbas are controlled by Russian separatist groups as a result of the Russo-Ukrai ...
said that Ukrainian forces had retrieved fifteen corpses from the convoy's destroyed vehicles, and were in the process of collecting the scattered remains of ten more people killed in the attack. On the day after the attack, Ukrainian government forces said they were trying to recover more remains from the site of the attack but were unable to do so because of heavy fighting in the area. According to them, the bodies found on the day of the attack were "burnt beyond recognition". The Ukrainian government released a video that they said was an interview with survivors of the attack. One of the survivors said, "We got ready quickly as we could, and jumped in and we were taken off... At the junction, another ehiclewas waiting for us. We turned and set off, it wanted to follow us, and then a mortar shell fell right on that vehicle and hit the refugees, and cut the vehicle in half".


Reactions

* United States – A statement released by the US State Department condemned the attack, saying "We strongly condemn the shelling and rocketing of a convoy that was bearing internally displaced persons in Luhansk and express our condolences to the families of the victims. Sadly, they were trying to get away from the fighting and instead became victims of it." While the US confirmed that the convoy was hit but said it did not know who was responsible. * United Nations – A spokesman for UN Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (; ; born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was his country's Minister ...
said that he was concerned over the convoy attack, and hoped for a diplomatic solution to the ongoing war in the Donbas region as soon as possible. * European Union – From August 18–19 the European Commission President
José Manuel Barroso José Manuel Durão Barroso (; born 23 March 1956) is a Portuguese politician and university teacher, currently serving as non-executive chairman of Goldman Sachs International. He previously served as the 11th president of the European Commi ...
was discussing the situation with the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Barroso expressed his concern over the Ukrainian security and condemned the attacks. He also urged a thorough investigation into an attack and an end to border hostilities and arms trafficking between both countries.


See also

* January 2015 Mariupol rocket attack * Volnovakha bus attack * Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 * Izolyatsia prison * February 2015 Kramatorsk rocket attack * Murder of Pentecostals in Sloviansk *
Volodymyr Rybak (murder victim) Volodymyr Rybak (30 November 1971 – c. 17 April 2014) was a Ukrainian politician, representative of the Horlivka city council, kidnapped and then murdered by the pro-Russian militia on 17 April 2014. It was one of the first war crimes alleged ...
* Donetsk "Donetskhirmash" bus station attack


References

{{War in Donbas Attacks in Europe in 2014 War in Donbas Massacres in Ukraine 2014 in Ukraine History of Luhansk Oblast Luhansk People's Republic Mass murder in 2014 21st-century mass murder in Ukraine August 2014 events in Ukraine Refugees Russo-Ukrainian War crimes