During a briefing, State Department spokesman Jen Psaki for the first time heard from journalists that the day before incendiary phosphorous bombs had been used under Slavyansk. Her reaction surprised the journalists.
On June 13, 2014 when asked the question, "what is the
opinion of the State Department on the use of phosphorus bombs in
Slavyansk?" Jen Psaki said:
-"By whom? By Russians?"
-"By the Ukrainian army", said the journalist.
-"No, I didn't see that", answered Psaki.
On the night between 11th and 12th June, Ukrainian troops
fired on the village Semenovka with incendiary bombs, claim militias.
This is the first use of such weapons in the Ukrainian conflict.
Incendiary bombs are designed to initiate a fire. Materials like white
phosphorus are used to make them. When used for military purposes within
city areas, the use of weapons containing phosphorus is prohibited,
according to international resolutions. This is set down in the
Convention on Conventional Weapons.
A
village of Semenovka, near Ukraine's eastern restive city of Slavyansk,
appears to have been targeted in a fire-bomb attack on Wednesday night,
a source at the local self-defense headquarters told RIA Novosti
Thursday. "Late on Wednesday, Semenovka came under attack that
apparently involved fire bombs. They exploded right above the village
and split into smoldering fragments," an eyewitness said.
Fires
were reported to flare up all across Semenovka, the eastern suburb of
Slavyansk that sits on one of the major roads to the city.
Its unfortunate location has turned the village into a battleground for Ukrainian troops.
The
shelling around Slavyansk is said to be continuing, although the
incident in Semenovka is the first time that the Ukrainian military has
used incendiary bombs against the civil population in the turbulent
Donetsk region.
Slavyansk
is close to the region's capital Donetsk, a flashpoint city that became
the capital of the recently proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).
Violence
in southeastern Ukraine has been on the rise since the beginning of a
punitive operation launched by Kiev authorities in mid-April, and has
claimed hundreds of casualties.
The
operation came after the People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk
declared themselves independent following a May 11 referendum, and
started forming governments and law enforcement agencies.
Military activities were halted during the May 25 presidential elections, only to resume on May 26.
Artillery and aviation have struck civilian sites, and many peaceful residents have become victims of the conflict.
Moscow has repeatedly called on Kiev to stop its military operation and start a direct dialogue with independence supporters.
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