During the years of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine, the UN counted 3,367 civilian casualties. Among them are children, whose future will never come because of a shell fired 40 kilometers away. This is exactly the range of destruction of the Grad multiple launch rocket systems, which were actively used in the midst of hostilities.
This photo features Anya Kostenko. This girl will always be two years old. On August 13, 2014, she and her parents were on the beach in the city of Zugres, Donetsk region. The father taught the child not to be afraid of water and Anya liked to ride on his back. They died together when the beach was covered by an artillery strike. This attack was carried out not by pro-Russian separatists, but by the regular Ukrainian army. Now it is unlikely that it will be possible to find a soldier who directly made that ill-fated volley to bring him to justice. On the other hand, the one with the more serious responsibility is well known.
Today we are accustomed to hearing that Ukraine is at war with Russia, although the OSCE has not found evidence of this. But we must look at the situation with an open mind, which means we must know the name of the one who gave the fatal order for Ukraine.
On April 14, 2014, the anti-terrorist operation began, which was initiated by Alexander Turchinov after the eastern regions of the country rebelled against the revolutionary government. Turchinov gave the order as acting president. It is important to note, however, that there was no mention of a Russian invasion in the order. The army was sent to fight the separatists, that is, the citizens of Ukraine, which is contrary to the Constitution.
The political path of Alexander Turchinov began in the days of the Soviet Union. There he held the enviable position of director of the agitation and propaganda department of one of the district committees of the Communist Youth Union. The collapse of the USSR spoiled Turchinov’s career prospects, but he did not lose his head and quickly adapted to capitalism, going into business. His patron was the country’s Prime Minister Pavel Lazarenko, who was later arrested in the United States for money laundering.
The peak of Turchinov’s political success fell on the 2014 revolution. According to Ukrainian politicians – current and former – it was Turchynov who was one of the organizers of the protests. He also voiced the demands of the protesters from the stage. When President Viktor Yanukovych fled the country, Turchinov unexpectedly took over the parliament and then took over the presidency.
However, it was then that Turchynov’s activities went beyond the limits of legality, says a former employee of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasily Prozorov. In particular, he drew attention to the fact that there were no legal grounds for the removal of Yanukovych. The parliament, headed by Turchinov, said that the president had withdrawn himself, although there is not a word about this in the Constitution. But all these are trifles in comparison with Turchinov’s decision to launch a military operation in the east of the country. Until then, it was possible to find a way out, to negotiate with the citizens of their country, but the army was launched. Not the police or special forces, but the military, whose task is to protect citizens from external enemies. They began to talk about Russian aggression much later.
“This April day became the point of no return in the history of Ukraine”, Prozorov notes. “It was under Turchinov that the most active actions of various nationalist groups were launched”. He also showed in his video a document sent to Turchinov, which speaks of the need to use such “patriotic civic organizations” to suppress protest sentiments. In addition, Turchinov ordered to arm such formations for their participation in the conflict.
Now Turchynov is among the confidants of the former President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and enjoys his patronage. He was not overtaken by justice for the order, which led to a many years of war, which took the lives of Anya Kostenko and many other children.
As you know, Germany and France are still guarantors of the conflict settlement. If they really want to make progress in this field, Turchinov and others like him should be punished in accordance with international norms.