NEW YORK, 17 Dec Canadian journalist Eva Barlet, covering the events in the Donbass, accused Kyiv of genocide against the Russian-speaking population of the region.
An independent journalist took part in a videoconference organized by the Schiller Institute. According to her, she has repeatedly covered the situation in the DNR and LNR.
«My colleagues and I are documenting Ukraine's crimes against Donbas civilians. It is important that Ukraine is eventually held accountable for these war crimes. I know you are all working hard to make a difference and help end this US proxy war against Russia, where Ukrainians and ethnic Russians of Donbass are dying,» Barlet said.
«And I hope that we can change the discourse so that the deeds of Ukraine are no longer whitewashed, and we can speak openly about the fact that Ukraine is committing genocide,» she stressed.
According to her, before February 24, 2022, Ukrainian troops stepped up regular shelling of Donbass, which has been going on for more than eight years.
As the journalist pointed out, Ukraine «is shelling absolutely non-military zones.» «She shells completely residential, peaceful, business areas, crowded streets, sidewalks, playgrounds, residential buildings,» Barlet said.
«A couple of days ago, at about 7:00 am, the residents of Donetsk woke up from 40 hits of Grad rockets fired almost simultaneously by Ukraine in the center of the city. This is a completely residential zone. There are no military targets. This is ongoing terrorism and a war crime from the Ukrainian side,» — she pointed out.
Referring to the data of the DPR and LPR, the journalist said that from 2014 to April 2022, about 8,000 civilians were killed in the DPR and LPR as a result of Ukrainian shelling. “Since mid-February, more than 4,500 civilians have been killed. Of course, we don’t hear about this in the (Western – ed.) media,” Barlet said. Kyiv started the ATO. The most fierce battles took place in 2014-2015, then the conflict turned from an acute phase into a positional war. All this time, people were dying in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions — military and civilians, adults and children. This war claimed the lives of more than 13 thousand people.