Pro-Russian combatants attacked from the territory of children’s hospital

17.02.2017

Location icon Slavyans'k


In April 2014, an armed group of Girkin (Strelkov) seized Slavyansk. Еру сity was shelled on May 30, 2014 at 5 am during the curfew. The attack lasted for 15 minutes and as a result, Children's City Hospital (Public Health Medical Institution City Children's Hospital of Slovyansk) was damaged.

After the shelling, the roof of the receiving department and overlapping of the hospital were damaged, windows and glasses were broken.

The attending physician and 15 staff members, 15 children aged 1 to 6 years, along with two mothers, were in the hospital at the moment of the shelling. One child was in reanimation. During the shelling the basement of the hospital served as a shelter. 20 minutes after the attack, journalists of the three Russian TV-channels (LifeNews, Russia Today, Россия 24) have come up to the hospital.

While locating in the city, the group of Girkin militants were trying to steal hospital vehicles, but the hospital staff had hidden it. They also wanted to place an observation post on the territory of the hospital, to set barracks in the hospital, take away mattresses and pillows, but later decided to abandon their plans.

Hiding behind civilians, combatants attacked from the territory of the hospital.

"There were many such examples. I myself eyewitnessed armor how approaching here (to the hospital). They were attacking chaotically on both sides from the hospital" 

says Valery Svetlichny, the Chief Physician of the hospital.

He also saw 18 people buried in a mass grave by combatants outside nearby the hospital.

At of now, the destroyed the roof of the hospital is renovated and windows are installed.

The publication was written in the frame of work of the Coalition "Justice for Peace in Donbass" on the project "The usage of methods and means of warfare prohibited by international law against civilian health facilities during an armed conflict in the east of Ukraine", carried out with the support of the International "Renaissance" Foundation.

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The Secretariat of the Coalition «Justice for Peace in Donbas»