Ichnia ammunitions fire caused by sabotage, prosecutors claim

8 November 2018

The October ammunitions depot fire in Ichnia was the result of sabotage, said military prosecutor Hryhoriy Riabenko, as reported by the hormadske.ua news site on Nov. 7. A saboteur gained access to the depot and placed an explosive among the stored ammunitions, he said. Investigators are still trying to determine how that happened. In October, Military Prosecutor General Anatoliy Matios said the explosive could have been detonated with the use of an unidentified mobile phone that had been operating in the region.

 

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed on Nov. 7 a law establishing the criminal penalty for barred Russian citizens and Russian law enforcement authorities for entering Ukraine illegally. The law, which also applies to Russian military personnel, establishes penalties for those crossing the Ukrainian border beyond official crossings or without the proper documents.

 

Zenon Zawada: The Ichnia fire proves that the Russian government still has a network of saboteurs among Ukrainian citizens capable of terrorist acts. While the government’s move to restrict illegal access to Russian military and law enforcement officials is a positive step for Ukrainian security, incidents like the Ichnia fire were likely caused by Ukrainian citizens.

 

In targeting military sites such as Ichnia, pro-Russian forces are trying to convince the Ukrainian public that not only is Poroshenko mishandling the war, but war with Russia is simply not worth the costs involved. Pro-Russian forces are avoiding civilian targets because that would turn the public against them. Instead they are targeting military sites.

 

The biggest threat to Ukrainian independence at this point – besides the Kremlin itself – is a strong result for Russian-oriented forces in the October 2019 parliamentary elections. Their results will reveal just how effective the Kremlin has been in convincing Ukrainians to give up the fight.