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Novosvitlivka refugee convoy attack

From Wikipedia, in a visual modern way
Novosvitlivka refugee convoy attack
Part of the War in Donbas
LocationNovosvitlivka
Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine
Date18 August 2014
Attack type
Artillery strike
Deaths17[1][2]
Injured6[1]
PerpetratorsLuhansk People's Republic (per Ukraine)
Ukraine (per LPR and DPR)

On 18 August 2014, a convoy of refugees fleeing heavy fighting near Luhansk, Ukraine, was hit by an artillery strike. At least 17 people were killed in the strike which the Ukrainian government blamed on insurgents affiliated with the Luhansk People's Republic.[3] The insurgents denied striking any convoy and blamed the attack on the Ukrainian government.

Discover more about Novosvitlivka refugee convoy attack related topics

Refugee

Refugee

A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a person who has lost the protection of his or her country of origin and who cannot or is unwilling to return there due to well-founded fear of persecution. Such a person may be called an asylum seeker until granted refugee status by the contracting state or the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) if they formally make a claim for asylum.

Luhansk

Luhansk

Luhansk, also known as Lugansk, is a city in Ukraine, although currently it is occupied by Russia. As of 2022, the population was estimated to be 397,677 , making Luhansk the most populous city in the region and the 12th-largest in Ukraine. In 2001, nearly half of the population was ethnically Ukrainian, and 47% was ethnically Russian.

Ukraine

Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately 600,000 square kilometres (230,000 sq mi). Prior to the ongoing Russian invasion, it was the eighth-most populous country in Europe, with a population of around 41 million people. On 1 January 2023, the United Nations estimated the Ukrainian population to be 34.1 million, with record low birth rates. It is also bordered by Belarus to the north; by Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; and by Romania and Moldova to the southwest; with a coastline along the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov to the south and southeast. Kyiv is the nation's capital and largest city. Ukraine's state language is Ukrainian; Russian is also widely spoken, especially in the east and south.

Artillery

Artillery

Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and led to heavy, fairly immobile siege engines. As technology improved, lighter, more mobile field artillery cannons developed for battlefield use. This development continues today; modern self-propelled artillery vehicles are highly mobile weapons of great versatility generally providing the largest share of an army's total firepower.

Luhansk People's Republic

Luhansk People's Republic

The Luhansk People's Republic or Lugansk People's Republic is an unrecognised republic of Russia in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast, with its capital in Luhansk. The LPR was created by militarily-armed Russian-backed separatists in 2014, and it initially operated as a breakaway state until it was annexed by Russia in 2022.

Background

The convoy was struck near the village of Novosvitlivka, in Krasnodon Raion. The village is southeast of Luhansk city, and is a vital crossroads. Government forces said they had recaptured it from the insurgents on 14 August, but fighting in the area continued.

Events

The convoy was made up of refugees fleeing the intense fighting in the insurgent-occupied city of Luhansk, which was under siege by government forces. The vehicles were flying white flags, to indicate that they were carrying civilians. Within the convoy, there were also some military lorries provided by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.[4] It was travelling on the road between Novosvitlivka and the neighbouring village of Khryashchuvate.[5] A spokesman for the Armed Forces said that the insurgents had been warned that a "convoy with peaceful citizens would be passing" through the area. On this road, it was struck by mortar and Grad rocket fire.[3]

According to the Ukrainian government, the convoy was struck with such force that the people inside the vehicles were "burned alive", and that it was entirely destroyed.[6][7] They said that separatist insurgents affiliated with the Luhansk People's Republic were responsible for the attack, and that the insurgents had lain in wait to ambush the convoy.[7] They also said that they suspected that the insurgents had used a Russian-made Uragan missile system to carry out the attack.[6] Colonel Andriy Lysenko stated that the insurgents "had perpetrated a bloody crime" with weapons supplied from Russia.[8]

According to the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) deputy prime minister Andrei Purgin, the area where the attack took place had been constantly barraged by Ukrainian artillery in recent days. He also said that it was the Ukrainian government that was at fault for the attack, and that insurgent forces lacked the "ability to send Grads into that territory".[6][9] DPR prime minister Aleksandr Zakharchenko stated, "The shelled refugee convoy is a canard. No refugee convoy was at the moment shelled by the DPR or Luhansk People’s Republic."[10]

A spokesman for the government military operation in Donbas said that Ukrainian forces had retrieved fifteen corpses from the convoy's destroyed vehicles, and were in the process of collecting the scattered remains of ten more people killed in the attack.[11] On the day after the attack, Ukrainian government forces said they were trying to recover more remains from the site of the attack but were unable to do so because of heavy fighting in the area. According to them, the bodies found on the day of the attack were "burnt beyond recognition".[12]

The Ukrainian government released a video that they said was an interview with survivors of the attack.[13] One of the survivors said, "We got ready quickly as we could, and jumped in and we were taken off... At the junction, another [vehicle] was waiting for us. We turned and set off, it wanted to follow us, and then a mortar shell fell right on that vehicle and hit the refugees, and cut the vehicle in half".[4]

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Luhansk

Luhansk

Luhansk, also known as Lugansk, is a city in Ukraine, although currently it is occupied by Russia. As of 2022, the population was estimated to be 397,677 , making Luhansk the most populous city in the region and the 12th-largest in Ukraine. In 2001, nearly half of the population was ethnically Ukrainian, and 47% was ethnically Russian.

Armed Forces of Ukraine

Armed Forces of Ukraine

The Armed Forces of Ukraine, most commonly known in Ukraine as ZSU or anglicized as AFU, are the military forces of Ukraine. All military and security forces, including the Armed Forces, are under the command of the President of Ukraine and subject to oversight by a permanent Verkhovna Rada parliamentary commission. They trace their lineage to 1917, while the modern armed forces were formed after Ukrainian independence in 1991.

Luhansk People's Republic

Luhansk People's Republic

The Luhansk People's Republic or Lugansk People's Republic is an unrecognised republic of Russia in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine's Luhansk Oblast, with its capital in Luhansk. The LPR was created by militarily-armed Russian-backed separatists in 2014, and it initially operated as a breakaway state until it was annexed by Russia in 2022.

BM-27 Uragan

BM-27 Uragan

The BM-27 Uragan is a self-propelled 220 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union to deliver cluster munitions. The system began its service with the Soviet Army in the late 1970s, and was its first spin and fin stabilized heavy multiple rocket launcher.

Russia

Russia

Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world encompassing one-eighth of Earth's inhabitable landmass. Russia extends across eleven time zones and shares land boundaries with fourteen countries. It is the world's ninth-most populous country and Europe's most populous country, with a population of over 147 million people. The country's capital and largest city is Moscow. Saint Petersburg is Russia's cultural centre and second-largest city. Other major urban areas include Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, and Kazan.

Donetsk People's Republic

Donetsk People's Republic

The Donetsk People's Republic is an unrecognised republic of Russia in the occupied parts of eastern Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast, with its capital in Donetsk. The DPR was created by militarily-armed Russian-backed separatists in 2014, and it initially operated as a breakaway state until it was annexed by Russia in 2022.

Andrei Purgin

Andrei Purgin

Andrei Yevgenyevich Purgin is a Ukrainian activist, cofounder of the Donetsk Republic organization along with Aleksandr Tsurkan and Oleg Frolov. Until 4 September 2015 he was the Chairman of the People's Council of the (disputed) Donetsk People's Republic.

Donbas

Donbas

The Donbas or Donbass is a historical, cultural, and economic region in eastern Ukraine. Parts of the Donbas are occupied by Russia as a result of the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Reactions

  • United States United States – A statement released by the US State Department condemned the attack, saying "We strongly condemn the shelling and rocketing of a convoy that was bearing internally displaced persons in Luhansk and express our condolences to the families of the victims. Sadly, they were trying to get away from the fighting and instead became victims of it." While the US confirmed that the convoy was hit but said it did not know who was responsible.[13]
  • United Nations United Nations – A spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said that he was concerned over the convoy attack, and hoped for a diplomatic solution to the ongoing war in the Donbas region as soon as possible.[14]
  • European Union European Union – From August 18–19 the European Commission President José Manuel Barroso was discussing the situation with the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. Barroso expressed his concern over the Ukrainian security and condemned the attacks. He also urged a thorough investigation into an attack and an end to border hostilities and arms trafficking between both countries.[15]

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United States

United States

The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territories, nine Minor Outlying Islands, and 326 Indian reservations. The United States is also in free association with three Pacific Island sovereign states: the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. It is the world's third-largest country by both land and total area. It shares land borders with Canada to its north and with Mexico to its south and has maritime borders with the Bahamas, Cuba, Russia, and other nations. With a population of over 333 million, it is the most populous country in the Americas and the third most populous in the world. The national capital of the United States is Washington, D.C. and its most populous city and principal financial center is New York City.

United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations (UN), particularly informally also referred to as the United Nations Organization (UNO), is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations. It is the world's largest and most familiar international organization. The UN is headquartered on international territory in New York City, and has other main offices in Geneva, Nairobi, Vienna, and The Hague.

Ban Ki-moon

Ban Ki-moon

Ban Ki-moon is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was his country's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade between 2004 and 2006. Ban was the foreign minister of South Korea between 2004 and 2006. Ban was initially considered to be a long shot for the office of Secretary-General of the United Nations; he began to campaign for the office in February 2006. As the foreign minister of South Korea, he was able to travel to all the countries on the United Nations Security Council, a maneuver that subsequently turned him into the campaign's front runner.

War in Donbas (2014–2022)

War in Donbas (2014–2022)

The war in Donbas, or Donbas war, was an armed conflict in the Donbas region of Ukraine, part of the broader Russo-Ukrainian War.

European Union

European Union

The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of 4,233,255.3 km2 (1,634,469.0 sq mi) and an estimated total population of nearly 447 million. The EU has often been described as a sui generis political entity combining the characteristics of both a federation and a confederation.

José Manuel Barroso

José Manuel Barroso

José Manuel Durão Barroso is a Portuguese politician and university teacher, currently serving as non-executive chairman of Goldman Sachs International. He previously served as the 11th president of the European Commission and the 115th prime minister of Portugal.

Petro Poroshenko

Petro Poroshenko

Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2009 to 2010, and as the Minister of Trade and Economic Development in 2012. From 2007 until 2012, he headed the Council of Ukraine's National Bank. He was elected president on 25 May 2014, receiving 54.7% of the votes cast in the first round, thus winning outright and avoiding a run-off. During his presidency, Poroshenko led the country through the first phase of the war in Donbas, pushing the Russian separatist forces into the Donbas Region. He began the process of integration with the European Union by signing the European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement.

Source: "Novosvitlivka refugee convoy attack", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, January 22nd), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novosvitlivka_refugee_convoy_attack.

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Further Reading

Donetsk People's Republic

Russian people's militias in Ukraine

War in Donbas (2014–2022)

Luhansk People's Republic

Battle of Kramatorsk

Battle of Mariupol (2014)

Battle in Shakhtarsk Raion

Humanitarian situation during the war in Donbas

Battle of Horlivka

Minsk agreements

Second Battle of Donetsk Airport

Volnovakha bus attack

January 2015 Mariupol rocket attack

Battle of Debaltseve

Shyrokyne standoff

Timeline of the war in Donbas (2014)

Timeline of the war in Donbas (2015)
See also
References
  1. ^ a b "Ukraine: 17 dead in refugee convoy attack". WPLG Local 10. CNN. 19 August 2014. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
  2. ^ "Ukraine: 17 dead, 6 hurt after refugee convoy attack".
  3. ^ a b "Ukraine refugee convoy hit by rockets, says military". BBC News. August 18, 2014. Archived from the original on August 18, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Parfitt, Tom (August 19, 2014). "Ukraine convoy attack: 'We were riding with white flag' say survivors as 15 bodies retrieved". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  5. ^ Vasilyeva, Nataliya (August 19, 2014). "Ukraine: Dozens of civilians killed when convoy shelled; Rebels claim no attack took place". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. Archived from the original on August 27, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c Balmforth, Richard; Zinets, Natalia (August 18, 2014). "Dozens killed in attack on convoy, Ukraine says; rebels deny firing rocket". Reuters. Archived from the original on August 24, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Dozens Killed Fleeing Ukraine's Luhansk". Voice of America. August 18, 2014. Archived from the original on August 20, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  8. ^ Kramer, Andrew E. (August 18, 2014). "Rebels Killed Dozens in Attack on Refugees, Ukraine Says". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 20, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  9. ^ Luhn, Alec (August 18, 2014). "Dozens die as Luhansk refugee convoy hit by rocket and mortar fire". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  10. ^ "Donetsk Republic PM dismisses refugee convoy shelling accusations". Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. August 18, 2014. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  11. ^ "Ukraine, rebels accuse each other of attacking refugee bus convoy". CBC News. Associated Press. August 18, 2014. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  12. ^ Tsvetkova, Maria; Barkin, Noah (August 19, 2014). "Ukraine says fighting halts recovery of refugees' bodies". Reuters. Archived from the original on August 20, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
  13. ^ a b "Ukrainian troops attack pro-Russia rebels as peace efforts continue". The Guardian. Associated Press. August 19, 2014. Archived from the original on August 20, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
  14. ^ "UN chief concerned over reports on refugee convoy attack in eastern Ukraine". Information Telegraph Agency of Russia. August 18, 2014. Archived from the original on August 29, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2014.
  15. ^ "EU calls for enquiry into attack on refugee convoy in Ukraine". Kuwait News Agency. August 19, 2014. Archived from the original on August 29, 2014. Retrieved August 29, 2014.
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