Ukrainian soldiers are posing with UK weapons in kindergartens
The photos show men dressed in Ukrainian military uniforms and standing in front of a wall covered in cartoons.
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A Ukrainian service member using an M141 Bunker Defeat Munition weapon supplied by the US. (Reuters)
Social media have circulated photos of two Ukrainian soldiers “posing with British weapons" in a kindergarten and standing in front of a wall covered in cartoons.
One of the weapons depicted appears to be a Javelin, a British man-portable surface-to-air missile that was previously used by the British and Canadian armies.
The other appears to be a modified M240 gas-operated medium machine gun used by the US Armed Forces.
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One of the weapons depicted appears to be a Javelin (Sputnik)
It is worth mentioning that numerous reports have previously revealed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were stationing combat troops in civilian facilities most notably in hospitals and schools.
On his account, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has lately affirmed that “multiple rocket launchers, guns, large-caliber mortars are placed in the courtyards of residential buildings, near schools and kindergartens.”
He went on to say that the Russian army is taking precautions to protect civilians, striking only military targets and using high-precision weapons.
Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said that none of the humanitarian corridors for civilians have been fully operational, regardless of the agreements reached during the previous round of negotiations with Ukraine.
He added that “the Russian side was ready to open these corridors immediately the next day,” stressing that “almost none of them fully worked.”
According to Medinsky, the implementation of the cease-fire has been hampered by nationalist groups that are also engaged in combat in certain areas but do not follow Kiev's orders.
Russia announced Monday that it will open humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to be evacuated from several Ukrainian cities amid the fighting, including the capital Kiev and Mariupol.
On the other hand, the Ukrainian nao-Nazi Azov Battalion opened fire on civilians during their evacuation from Mariupol on Sunday, resulting in the death of two people and the injury of four others.
Earlier, militants of the same far-right battalion blew up a building in Mariupol on the heads of around 200 civilians, including women and children, according to Denis Pushilin, the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic.
Commenting on the incident, Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said that “after discovering the DPR fighters, the Ukrainian nationalists opened fire on them from behind the backs of civilians. As a result of the firing by the Ukrainian Nazis, four civilians were killed and five wounded. The fighters of the DPR People's Militia took the freed civilians through the Vinogradnoye district from Mariupol to territory under their control”.
Prior to the Monday talks, Medinsky stated that the Russian side would continue to insist on adherence to the humanitarian corridors and ceasefire agreements. Ukrainian negotiator Mikhail Podolyak confirmed that "there are small positive developments in improving the logistics of humanitarian corridors" after the negotiations, which ended late that day.
The situation in many Ukrainian cities, particularly large cities, has devolved into a humanitarian disaster as a result of Kiev's inability to ensure the operation of humanitarian corridors, according to a statement issued by Russia's interdepartmental coordination headquarters for humanitarian response in Ukraine on Tuesday.
