“Residents of the Donbass began to be targeted by their own government in 2014,” says French reporter.
QUICK FACTS:
- Anne-Laure Bonnel (Insagram, Facebook, Twitter), a French journalist and reporter, is being criticized for claiming that locals in the contested Donbass region bordering Russia are being “targeted” by the Ukrainian government, RT News reports.
- Bonnell says she’s been filming in the war-torn eastern Ukraine area since 2015.
- She spoke out about her experience in Donbass in an interview with French newsroom CNews during which she claimed that innocent Donbass citizens are being tortured by their own government.
- “They are dead and wounded I film them every day,” Bonnel said. “I take photos every day to save as proof I do not have any political message to express.”
- “Just so you know this conflict has been widely discussed for a week, but it has lasted already eight years and caused the deaths of thirteen thousand people,” she added.
- “People are devastated. All of them are Ukrainians and they’re extremely surprised that Europe is now aware of the situation.”
- “This has been going on since 2014.”
- The French anchorman interrupts Bonnel to clarify that it is Ukrainians being attacked by the Ukrainian government, saying, “Sorry to interrupt—not all of us know about the situation as much as you do, since you’ve been following it for so many years.”
- “Something you said surprised me,” the anchorman went on. “You said that all of those people are Ukrainians and the shelling is also conducted by Ukrainians?” he asked.
- “Definitely,” Bonnel responded. “This is something really important and somehow it’s being ignored. Residents of the Donbass began to be targeted by their own government in 2014.”
- “And you think these bombings are being conducted by the central Ukrainian authorities?” the anchorman asked.
- “Yes.”
WATCH BONNEL’S INTERVIEW:
WHAT ELSE BONNEL SAID:
- “Russian-speaking citizens fell victim to shelling by Kiev government. It’s true. I have proof. I can show it as soon as I go back to France,” Bonnel told the French news agency.
- “I have a whole documentary. It’s undeniable.”
- “The Ukrainian government bombed its citizens. Children had to live in basements for months.”
- “The film (here) that I made in 2015 has proof of these crimes against humanity. I take responsibility for my words and urge you to watch it.”
- “The other day I was at the school. Two teachers were hit by an explosion. Their bodies were cut in two. I uploaded these photos to Facebook (here).”
- “I’ve met elderly women who could not leave this area. Civilians are falling victim to heavy artillery rocket launchers. I’m not very good with weapons, but I can confirm that here in the Donbass, in the Russian-speaking part, residential areas are still being shelled today.”
BACKGROUND:
- Bonnel’s comments corroborate Russia’s allegations that the “special operation” it launched against Ukraine on Feb 24 was aimed at protecting the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) in the Donbass region.
- Russia claims Ukraine has been committing “genocide” on Russians in disputed Ukrainian regions.
- The Lugansk People’s Republic “Memorial” organization helps LPR residents who claim they’ve suffered from such Ukrainian aggression to send more than 500 statements of claim to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), LPR Deputy Foreign Minister Anna Soroka—chairwoman of Memorial and the Special Commission under the LPR Head for recording alleged war crimes committed by the Kiev regime—said at a press briefing at the Lugansk Media Centre in 2020.
