During the pre-trial investigation in the criminal proceedings initiated on the fact of violation of the laws and customs of war, evidence of Russia's involvement in the attack on the Red Cross humanitarian mission in Donetsk region was obtained.

The Prosecutor General's Office said on Telegram on Saturday that under the procedural guidance of the Donetsk regional prosecutor's office, a pre-trial investigation is being carried out in the criminal proceedings initiated on the fact of violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murder (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

On September 12, 2024, the Russian army committed another war crime in Donetsk region. The troops of the aggressor state attacked three vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the village of Viroliubivka, Kostiantynivka community, with cannon artillery during the distribution of humanitarian aid.

As a result of the shelling, five employees of the International Committee of the Red Cross were injured. Three men were killed directly at the scene of the attack. Two of their colleagues received shrapnel wounds and mine-explosive injuries.

Law enforcement officers established two places where artillery shells hit and one place where an attack UAV hit. Fragments of the aforementioned ammunition and the remains of an unmanned aerial vehicle were seized from the scene.

Based on the results of investigative actions, inspection of the scene, examinations and interrogations of witnesses, it was established that the artillery shelling was carried out by two 152mm high-explosive fragmentation artillery shells and a Lancet-type attack UAV, which is only in service with the Russian Armed Forces.

The 152mm shells were used in tandem with a drone that has a laser rangefinder-target designator and independently detects and loiters the target. This not only explains the wreckage of the Lancet found at the scene, but also indicates the deliberate nature of the attack on the ICRC vehicles and personnel, noted Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin.

Taking into account the traces of damage to the surrounding buildings and cars, as well as the recorded locations of the ammunition impacts, the direction of strike has been preliminarily determined.

According to the investigation, the firing positions of the artillery units were probably located in the area of the village of Yahidne, Bakhmut district, Donetsk region - the territory currently occupied by Russian troops.

On September 18, 2024, in order to prevent similar incidents of shelling and possible loss of life during the distribution of humanitarian aid, the Donetsk Region Defense Council issued a decision banning the movement of representatives of charitable organizations in the region's frontline communities without appropriate approval from the regional military administration.

The pre-trial investigation in the criminal case continues.