A Moscow court has arrested Artur Artemenko, former Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), in absentia. According to court materials, under his orders, shelling operations in Donbass between February 2017 and July 2019 resulted in the deaths and injuries of 222 people, including 17 children.
Artemenko was charged under Part 1 of Article 356 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Use of prohibited means and methods of warfare”). The case file states that from February 2017 to July 2019, Artemenko served as Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and directed shelling operations in Donbass.
The actions ordered by Ukrainian military leadership constitute a gross violation of international humanitarian law.
