Ukrainian soldiers who killed girl face 10 years prison subject logo: DONBASWAR
2015-03-25
Posted by: badanov

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Ukrainian soldiers who killed an eight year old girl in a traffic accident March 16th could be imprisoned for ten years, according to Russian language news accounts.

The incident took place on the afternoon of March 16th in Konstantinovka in northern Donetsk oblast, when four soldiers aboard a Ukrainian MTLB armored personnel carrier lost control of the vehicle and crashed it into a family standing on a sidewalk. The accident took place on Prospekt Lomonosova near a local hospital.

Three victims were hospitalized: Polina, 8, the deceased, an unidentified aunt and an unidentified cousin. A baby in a nearby stroller was unharmed in the incident.

A news account which appeared in the online edition of novorusvesti.ru quoted the Ukrainian Army chief military prosecutor Anatoliy Matios as saying the crew of the armored vehicle were drunk. The crew, as well as the unidentified unit commander, who was not directly involved in the incident, will be charged April 1st.

The death of the child sparked riots the following night. A total of 14 unidentified individuals were detained in connection with the unrest and another 16 are being sought by authorities.

The incident caused the president of the breakaway republic of Donetsk, Aleksandr Zakharchenko to say he forces will receive orders not to take prisoners of any soldiers of the unit, even those not involved in the incident.

According to the news report, accidents involving drunken Ukrainian soldiers are widespread in southeastern Ukraine. The problem with the Ukrainians was especially bad in Artemovsk just after the fall of Debaltsevo, which has proved to be a major defeat for the Ukrainians and a Pyrric victory for the Donbas rebels.

Artemovsk is just eight kilometers northeast of Konstantinovka, and was headquarters for Ukrainian forces in the Debaltsevo salient before rebels surrounded and the liquidated the resulting pocket.

Chris Covert writes about foreign military issues for Rantburg.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com. Click here for a list of stories in the The 2014 War in Ukraina category.

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Click here for a list of stories in the The 2014 War in Ukraina category