Amnesty International says it has documented proof of a massive Russian military presence in Ukraine.
In its new report on the situation in eastern Ukraine, released on Sept. 7, the human rights watchdog released several satellite images made on Aug.26-29 showing Russian artillery presence in the eastern Ukraine.
Read the full report by Amnesty International.
One of the images is compared to a photograph of the same location made on Aug. 13, which showed the area clean of any vehicles.
“The Kremlin has repeatedly denied any involvement in the fighting in Ukraine, but satellite imagery and testimony gathered by the organization provide compelling evidence that the fighting has burgeoned into what Amnesty International now considers an international armed conflict,” reads the report.
The armed conflict between Ukrainian government forces on one side, and Russia-backed rebels on the other side, has been going on since March. It wasn’t until late August when the West, starting with the U.S. State Department, publicly aknowledged that Russian army was present in eastern Ukraine, fighting on the side of the anti-government rebels.
On Sept. 5, a truce was signed in Minsk between Ukrainian government and rebel’s organizations Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic. It came in force at 6 p.m. on Sept. 5. The conditions of the truce were not yet made public, but the agreement foresees an exchange of captives as negotiations start.
However, both sides reported of violations of the truce.
Ukraine’s Security and Defense Council claimed that the rebels shelled the positions of Ukrainian army 10 times after the truce came in force. Prime Minister of the Donetsk People’s Republic Oleksandr Zakharchenko accused Ukrainian forces in shelling a rebel-held city of Amvrosiyivka on the morning of Sept. 6.
While it proves Russian military presence in Ukraine, the new report by Amnesty International also blames both sides for possible war crimes. Based on the interviews of the civilians of the region, Amnesty International concluded that Ukrainian government forces shelled residential neighborhoods in rebel-held cities, which “may amount to war crimes.” The separatists are accused in abducting and murdering civilians.
“All sides in this conflict have shown disregard for civilian lives and are blatantly violating their international obligations,” said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.
The report was published on the day Shetty came to Ukraine for a two-day visit. On Sept. 8, Shetty will meet Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko and then move on to visit Moscow.
