Lubinec made contact with Belarus following accusations that Ukraine had attacked a bus carrying children
Dmytro Lubinets reported this on social media.
The Ombudsman stated that he had already received preliminary information about the incident and, during a conversation with the Belarusian side, emphasised that Ukraine had absolutely nothing to do with this incident.
According to Lubinets, the Ukrainian Defence Forces do not carry out strikes on civilian targets or the civilian population.
He emphasised that Ukrainian military forces on Russian territory target exclusively military objectives in accordance with the norms of international humanitarian law.
Ukraine does not rule out the possibility of a provocation
Lubinets stated that the possibility of yet another provocation or a disinformation campaign, primarily benefiting the Russian Federation, cannot be ruled out.
At the same time, he emphasised Ukraine’s readiness to participate in a transparent and impartial investigation into all the circumstances of the incident.
What Ukraine is accused of
On 17 June, Yegor Kovalchuk, acting governor of the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation, claimed that a Ukrainian drone had allegedly attacked a coach carrying a children’s football team from Belarus.
According to him, the children from Gomel were travelling to Gelendzhik for a holiday.
The Russian side claims that a woman accompanying the team was killed in the incident, and six other people, including four children, were injured.
Reaction from Russia and Belarus
The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation has opened a criminal case under the article on terrorist acts.
The incident was also described as a terrorist attack by the Kremlin.
The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it regards the incident as an act of terrorism against the civilian population and is demanding an explanation from Kyiv.
The response from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has officially denied any involvement in the incident.
The General Staff stated that during the period in question, Ukrainian drones were not used against targets in the Bryansk region.
The military command also noted that Russia is increasingly resorting to disinformation and fabricating accusations against Ukraine against the backdrop of its failures on the battlefield.
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