MOSCOW, July 3 (RIA Novosti) - The authorities of Novorossiya, the union of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics in eastern Ukraine, is working on its own “White Book” on human rights violations, Co-chair of the United People’s Front movement Konstantin Dolgov said Thursday.
“Ukraine is a fascist state,” Dolgov said. “The country violates the right for opinion, freedom of speech, and stamps out dissent.”
According to Dolgov, the book reflects all the crimes against civilians in southeastern Ukraine and its new chapters are to be published online. Dolgov also stressed that over 200 people have been imprisoned in Kharkiv.
“A photographer who was shooting protest gatherings against the current authorities was kidnapped yesterday in Kharkiv. Prorector of the Slavic Institute Alexei Samoilov was arrested. Sixteen armed men came to his place,” Dolgov deplored.
The co-chair stressed that the worst part of the new Kiev regime is the militarization of the economy, which is a key attribute of a fascist state. Dolgov noted that the number of hardware orders to the Kharkiv plants has increased.
In June, aide to the Ukrainian interior minister Anton Heraschenko said the Ukrainian military was using heavy weaponry and combat aircraft in an attempt to minimize losses while fighting against armed protesters in the eastern regions of the country.
“Obviously… there are losses on both sides. But we are trying to reduce the number of casualties," Anton Heraschenko said.
Russia issued two editions of its “White Book” covering violations of human rights in Ukraine and is now considering more editions, as the situation, according to the ministry, indicates there may be a need for this.
Kiev launched a special military operation in southeastern Ukraine in mid-April, trying to suppress independence supporters in Donbas Region using military hardware and aviation. Hundreds of lives have been claimed and thousands of residents of the region have fled to Russia seeking asylum.
The name Novorossiya, chosen by the self-proclaimed republics, originates from a geographical region in southeastern Ukraine that was annexed by Russia from the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 18th century. The region included what is now Donetsk Region, small portions of Luhansk Region, as well as Crimea.
