Russia Claims It Can Prove Kiev Using Tactical Missiles Against Civilian Targets

According to the Russian Investigative Committee, Ukrainian forces are deploying Tochka-U (SS-21 Scarab) tactical missiles against the civilian population in eastern Ukraine.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Russian Investigative Committee said Monday it has received evidence of Ukrainian forces deploying Tochka-U (SS-21 Scarab) tactical missiles against the civilian population in eastern Ukraine.

Russia's envoy to the OSCE Alexander Lukashevich noted on Friday the redeployment of heavy weaponry, tanks and Tochka-U systems by Kiev amid the latest escalation.

"Irrefutable evidence of the Armed Forces of Ukraine applying weapons of mass destruction — Tochka-U tactical missile systems — against civilians in armed conflict has been obtained and documented," committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said.

The Donbass conflict erupted in April 2014 as a local counter-reaction to the West-sponsored Maidan coup in Kiev that had toppled legitimate President Viktor Yanukovych in February. Residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions held independence referendums and proclaimed the People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Kiev has since been conducting a military operation, encountering stiff local resistance.

In February 2015, Kiev forces and Donbass independence supporters signed a peace agreement in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. The deal stipulates a full ceasefire, weapons withdrawal from the line of contact in Donbass, as well as constitutional reforms that would give a special status to the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. Despite the agreement, the ceasefire regime is regularly violated, with both sides accusing each other of multiple breaches, undermining the terms of the accord.

Never miss a story again — sign up to our Telegram channel and we'll keep you up to speed!