The spokesman for the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Oleksiy Arestovych, has refuted disinformation circulated by Russia that a 5-year-old boy was killed in the occupied territory of Donetsk region in an explosion after a Ukrainian drone allegedly dropped a bomb in the backyard of a civilian household.
"According to our version, the boy died from an explosive device he found in the backyard. This indicates that the Russians have not only occupied our land, they throw around hazardous explosive devices there, standard or non-standard, resulting in Ukrainian citizens' deaths, including that of a 5-year-old child," he told Hromadske Radio.
Ukrainian UAVs don't fly over to the territories temporarily beyond government control, Arestovych added.
Read alsoHuge field base of Russian military hardware spotted near Ukraine borderThe boy's death and the injury of a civilian near the occupied city of Donetsk will be discussed at a TCG meeting on April 13-14.
Background
The incident took place in early April in the village of Oleksandrivka near Donetsk amid the latest escalation of conflict.
The OSCE mission was informed on the death of the boy by a morgue staff in Donetsk who reported multiple shrapnel injuries on the body.
The OSCE team learned the child had died while playing outside. His grandmother heard an explosion and saw thick smoke in the aftermath. The details of the incident are being clarified.
At the same time, in early April, a wide range of Russian media outlets (Gazeta.RU, Kommersant, RBC, Fontanka.RU, RIA Novosti, Lenta.ru, Svobodnaya Pressa, Interfax, and others) accused the Ukrainian Armed Forces of the boy's death, saying the Ukrainian military had allegedly dropped explosives from a UAV. Experts have soon debunked the allegation as fake news.
At the same time, the invaders' attacks from quadcopters were regularly recorded in the occupied territories.
