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ZDF troops search for mines on the road to Zomnaygrad.


The Keiv Tribune

updated 12:43 p.m. CT, Mon., Dec. 1, 2008

ZAPORIZHIA - A Woman, three of her children and a nephew were killed today when their donkey cart struck a landmine on a dike road outside of Berdyansk.

A sixth person, another child in the cart, was seriously wounded in the blast and taken to hospital, Zaporizhian security sources said.

Sofia Alexeevna, 43, and three of her children aged between eight and 16, were killed, said Alexander Aronov, director of the hospital in nearby Zomnaygrad, where the bodies were taken.

The fifth victim was Alexeevna's six-year-old nephew, Pyotr Alexeevna, Mr Aronov said. It was unclear if the wounded child was part of the same family.

Deaths due to land mines is becoming a more common acurence in Zaporizhia as both sides bury them to strenthen their positions in the country side.

Five children who stopped to play with a land mine while on the way to the market Friday died when one of them threw the device against a wall, causing a blast that sent their small bodies tearing through the air.

The deaths of the children, between the ages of 7 and 12, were shocking even in this bloodstained country, which has seen little peace since President Aleksandra Baryatinsky was assassinated in February. Roadside bombs, assassination attempts and gun battles have become common, and civilians are caught in the crossfire.

The children spotted the land mine buried under some dirt, said Misha Romanov, who was hit in the thigh with shrapnel.

"One of them picked up the land mine hidden under the ground and then they gathered," Romanov told The Associated Press. "Another child took it and threw it against a wall and it went off."

Anastasia Zakharyina, whose 7-year-old son was killed, wailed when she learned of the boy's death.

"I had dressed him well and sent him to the market to buy potatoes," she said, her face wet with tears. "He was caught by the explosion on his way, I am shocked, I am shocked."


Rescue workers search for survivors in Fridays blast on the
road outside of Berdyansk.

A 16-year-old girl's leg was blown off in the blast.

"This is really revolting savagery to plant a mine in a residential area," said the girl's mother, Catherine Dolgoruki, who was tending to her daughter at Kiev Hospital.

Khasan Israilov, who arrived after he heard the blast, said the scene was horrific.

"You could not recognize the faces of the children," he said, his voice quivering. "Their bodies were scattered in all directions."

Over 30 civilians have been killed and 153 others were injured by landmines in the Black Sea republic over the past few months, according to the United Nations' Children's Fund (UNICEF).

"Since August through November, 73 children were injured by exploding mines in Zaporizhia, and 14 of them died," UNICEF spokeswoman Anna Chernyakhovskaya was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency

Children are particularly susceptible to the mines, which come in an array of shapes and colors and are often mistaken for toys. The charity Save the Children urged better education to help children recognize mines, which can stay hidden for years and still remain active.

"How is a child going to know what a land mine is if someone hasn't taught them?" said Janice Dolan, the group's education director. But she noted that in chaotic Zaporizhia, few children are in school.

Tensions in the region flared up again after ZDF comanders announced plans to try former members of Prime Minister Vlasov's government, most of whom are in hiding or fighting against the ZDF.

In response backers of the parliament, now calling themselves the People's Army of Zaporizhia, launched attacks on forward ZDF positions. Several After several of their positions where destroyed by motor fire the ZDF has since pulled there forces back, leaving much of the area in rebel hands.


A ZDF position destroyyed by rebel shelling on Saturday.

Experts believe that the ZDF is preparing a counter assault to regain access to the Dnieper river, a major supply route in the region. Last month rebels destroyed several ZDF supply ships on the river.


Several half sunken ships litter the Dnieper river, blocking most of the main channel.

On Monday, the European Union along with the Ukraine offered to help mediate a peace in the war torn country. Despite international out cry, the violence continues all over Zaporizhia & the citizens continue to suffer.

According to the information received, on November 26th, a truck filled with residents of the Assinovskaya District was blown up by a landmine. Nine people were killed immediately and five people as a result of injuries. The truck was traveling on a country road and the passengers had been together in the forest to collect wild garlic for their livelihood.

It is reported that the truck was one of twelve trucks filled with residents of the Assinovskaya District that was stopped by PAZ rebels on the same road on their way to the forest, at which point each truck was made to pay fifty rubles in order to pass. After each truck paid the required bribe, they were allowed to pass and continue their excursion to the forest. One its way back to the settlement, along the same road, it is reported that one of the trucks was blown up by a landmine. Witnesses claim that the anti-personnel mine was placed at exactly the spot where the trucks had been stopped by the PAZ previously and it is alleged that the rebels may have knowingly and deliberately placed the landmine at that spot.

In a separate incident, on November 25, a girl was shot by a sniper while she was in the forest collecting wild garlic. This killing took place near Orekhovo village, Achkhoy-Martan District, and it is reported that the shot came from the direction of where a federal base is located. It is alleged that the sniper was a member of the Zaporizhia Defense forces.

Many villagers go into the forest to collect wild garlic in order to sell it at the market, for about 25-30 rubles per kilogram. In Zaporizhia, the unemployment rate is extremely high (over 90%), and many Zaporizhian people are forced to live on the pensions of elder persons in the family as the main means of support for the family. During the season, which begins at the end of October, Zaporizhian people collect wild garlic as a way to provide much needed support to their families. This activity has become extremely dangerous with the extensive presence of landmines throughout the Republic of Zaporizhia as well as the risk of being killed by a sniper.

These killings occur against the backdrop of massive violations of economic, social and cultural rights, as well as civil and political rights, in Zaporizhia. The ongoing conflict in Zaporizhia has had a devastating effect on the socio-economic situation of the civilian population through forced displacement, demolition of houses, deficiency of shelter, lack of water, scarcity of foodstuff, destruction of schools, and the absence of health services. Furthermore, the population of Zaporizhia faces serious difficulties in enjoying their rights with respect to work, education, food and health, because of the restricted access to basic services due to military checkpoints, curfews, and targeted operations.

EU observers documented extensive violations of economic, social and cultural rights in Zaporizhia. One example of these many violations is the inability of the Zaporizhian people to access land for the purpose of gathering food and firewood for their basic survival. In a context where the majority of the population is unemployed, and has no electricity, it has become necessary for Zaporizhian people to search the forests to find these basic provisions