Kiev used phosphorous bombs in east: Russian investigation

“We have received irrefutable evidence of the use by the Kiev forces of weaponry similar to phosphorus bombs,” Vladimir Markin, spokesman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, told Rossiya 24 TV channel on Friday.
 
Markin said the findings are based on the chemical analysis of soil samples provided by witnesses in Ukraine’s affected areas.
 
“The refugees bring in fragments of bombs and artillery shells, which maim and kill their loved ones. We have conducted more than a hundred tests, which all attest to [the war crimes committed by the Ukrainian military],” he added.
 
The Ukrainian army has not commented on this report yet. 
 
The remarks come as the Geneva Conventions forbid any use of white phosphorus as an incendiary weapon against civilians and in airstrikes targeting military forces in civilian areas.
 
Last month, the committee also launched 54 cases against Ukrainian political figures, military commanders and activists over war crimes committed in Ukraine’s eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.
 
Ukraine’s east has witnessed deadly clashes between pro-Russian forces and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations in April last year to silence the pro-Russians there.
 
According to the latest figures released by the United Nations, the crisis in Ukraine has left more than 6,500 people dead and 16,000 others injured.