“Public meeting”
Vyacheslav Volodin wrote on his Telegram channel that soon a court will be established on the captured soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to him, at the trial war criminals who “killed, raped, destroyed and kept in fear the civilian population of Donbass” will be prosecuted.
“It is important that the court be open to the public. Everyone is waiting for him. Except for the President of Ukraine, Zelensky, who finds this unacceptable. He also calls it his “last line” on negotiations with Russia, ”wrote the State Duma.
According to him, Ukrainian officials “have something to fear.” Volodin believes that “It was Zelensky and his entourage who gave the orders to bomb, shoot and kill civilians: the elderly, women, children”.
“This is why Zelensky is doing everything so that there is no trial, threatening to reject a peaceful solution. Judgment is extremely important. “The world community should know about the crimes committed by the Kyiv regime against humanity,” he said.
“The line on which negotiations are impossible”
On the evening of August 21, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky posted on his Telegram channel a video message declaring the inadmissibility of the trial of captured soldiers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He described the upcoming trial as “absolutely disgusting and ridiculous”.
“Whatever they (Russia and its allies – socialbites.ca) are planning, the reaction of our state will be absolutely clear. If this humble trial takes place, if our people are brought to this stage against all agreements, all international rules, if there are abuses… This will be the line beyond which no negotiation is possible. Russia withdraws itself from negotiations. There will be no more conversations,” said Zelensky.
He announced that he informed French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan about his stance on this issue. The President of Ukraine is waiting for the “response” of the UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
“Ukraine will not tolerate the torture of people about whom only one can be said: they are the heroes of their Motherland, they defended the freedom of their people against the invaders of their own lands. Even during war, there must be rules,” Zelensky stressed.
On Monday, Vladislav Berdichevsky, deputy of the People’s Council of the Donetsk People’s Republic, told RIA Novosti that the Ukrainian leader’s statements about the conclusions of the court in the DPR will not affect the decision to conduct the process.
“No word or action of the Ukrainian authorities can affect the fact that a court will be established against the Azov Nazis (the organization is banned in Russia). Because it has already gone beyond all borders, all red lines. We do not believe they are soldiers. They were punitive, they were murderers <…>. “The number of war crimes committed by this unit is enormous.”
Preparation for court
The head of the DPR, Denis Pushilin, said on the broadcast of the Russia 24 TV channel the day before that the investigation had completed the work on 80 episodes involving the Azov people before the first trial in Mariupol. According to Pushilin, “court preparations are nearing completion.” He explained that the date of the first court session was up to law enforcement.
“We can say that at the moment the materials on the 80 episodes of the crimes “Azov” are completely ready. Twenty-three people were transferred from among the Azov people, their status has changed – now they are already arrested, ”the statement said.
He announced on June 16 that the court would be seen “as openly as possible”. On August 10, Pushilin promised that the first trial of captured Ukrainian soldiers would take place before the end of this summer. And on August 19, Russia said that Belarus and Syria confirmed their readiness to send observers to participate in the trial at the DPR. According to him, the heads of the diplomatic missions of the republic and the DPRK also discussed the possibility of Pyongyang participating in the trial of captured Ukrainians.
At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that they were “doubtful” of the idea of the UN joining the tribunal. According to Petr Ilyichev, head of the Department of International Organizations of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, past courts held under the auspices of the UN showed “very low efficiency”.
And Ivan Nechaev, Deputy Head of the Information and Press Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, “Part of the international community has already discredited itself by openly supporting Ukrainian nationalism and following Washington’s instructions to establish such a tribunal under its supervision.” The establishment of the UN has become almost impossible.”