OSCE confirms Grad rocket struck civilian bus in eastern Ukraine

12 civilians were killed and 17 wounded when a rocket exploded close to a civilian bus at a Ukrainian checkpoint near Volnovakha, the OSCE SMM report as of 14 January says.

This report refutes an allegation of Russian terrorists and Russian mass media saying the bus was attacked with automatic arms.

When the SMM representatives arrived at the location of the incident at 17:45 they witnessed removal of two of the dead passengers from the bus. ‘The bus had shrapnel damage consistent with a nearby rocket impact, estimated by
the SMM to be 12-15 meters from the side of the bus’, the report says.

The SMM also visited the Volnovakha hospital where it was confirmed that 10 persons on the bus had been killed instantly and 2 had died later in the hospital. 17 other passengers were injured.

Read the full report of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine on osce.org.

To remind, 13 January 2015, Russian terrorists shelled a civilian bus near the Ukrainian check point close to Volnovakha, the Donetsk Oblast, killing 12 civilians.

Ukrainian authorities and the United States blame Russian terrorists for the attack. The CCTV video from the spot also clearly shows BM-21 Grad shelling with one of the blasts reaching the civilian bus.

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko announced 15 January day of mourning.

UPD: One more person died in hospital. The death toll reaches 13.

EMPR