Tag: Ukraine weapons

  • Two Ukrainian teenagers with Kalashnikovs shot and killed by Russian soldiers

    Two Ukrainian teenagers with Kalashnikovs shot and killed by Russian soldiers

    In occupied Berdyansk, two Ukrainian teens who were murdered in a confrontation with Russian soldiers have been praised as heroes.

    Tihran Ohannisian, 16, is shown holding a Kalashnikov gun in his lap and is shown in a video clip that surfaced over the weekend covered in blood.

    The boy performs patriotic songs for his country with fervour despite his health and claims to have killed two Russian soldiers in the conflict.

    ‘Two for sure, that’s death, guys. Farewell! Glory to Ukraine!’ Tihran declares proudly as he raises his fist in solidarity before later succumbing to his injuries.

    Tihran Ohannisian filmed a video of himself bloodied and clutching a rifle before dying from his injuries
    Tihran Ohannisian filmed a video of himself bloodied and clutching a rifle before dying from his injuries

    Russian authorities in Berdyansk confirmed the deaths of Ohannisian and his 16-year-old classmate, Mykyta Khanhanov, on Saturday.

    They claimed the boys had killed a civilian and labelled them ‘pro-Ukrainian terrorists’.

    Human rights activists are now trying to understand the exact circumstances of the boys’ deaths after they became the subject of a European parliament resolution.

    In September last year, Tihran was arrested at his home in Berdyansk by Russian forces who tried to accuse him of sabotaging a railway to disrupt military logistics. Mykyta was also blamed but he was able to escape the arrest.

    It is said Tihran was beaten and tortured as the Russian forces tried to elicit a confession from him.

    Media and human rights campaigners – largely headed up by the Ukrainian body Media Initiative for Human Rights – eventually helped secure his release. Tihran and Mykyta  were placed under house arrest and ordered to check in at a local police station daily.

    ‘My son was tortured with electric shocks,’ Tihran’s mother, Oksana Starovierova, told journalists, The Times reported.

    The teens had been repeatedly targeted by Russian occupiers and labelled as terrorists
    The teens had been repeatedly targeted by Russian occupiers and labelled as terrorists

    ‘They took him to a field and carried out a mock execution,’ she said. ‘Russians asked him, “Are you going to become a guerilla?” They ordered him to prepare to die.’

    Ms Starovierova, her husband, and Tihran’s younger sister had left for Germany following the invasion, but Tihran had chosen to stay and look after his grandmother.

    The family returned in January to try and get Tihran out of the country but were prevented from doing so by Russian forces.

    The boys were formally charged by Russia’s Investigative Committee in May 2023, and if convicted would have faced 20 years in prison.

    Their arrests were condemned by the European parliament and a range of human rights organisations, who introduced a resolution on the case calling on Russia to ‘end grave violations against children affected by armed conflict’ and to transfer the boys to Ukrainian territory.

    It also called on Russian authorities to allow the boys access to lawyers and international organisation representatives, although it was later revealed they were denied access to legal representation.

    The exact circumstances of the boys’ death are shrouded in mystery.

    The teens are belived to have killed at least two Russian soldiers before succumbing to their injuries
    The teens are belived to have killed at least two Russian soldiers before succumbing to their injuries

    The pair are believed to have fled their homes last week, fearing another interview by Russian officials. 

    Ohannissian is known to have contacted his mother in Germany, saying that they were alone and needed help.

    It is not known exactly what triggered the violence of the boys’ last moments, although Ohannissian’s defiant video suggests he had, indeed, killed two Russians and knew he was about to die himself. 

    The Russian authorities say the boys killed a civilian: Ukrainian sources say they shot two collaborationist policemen.

    Whatever the truth, by 7pm on Saturday the boys were both dead.

  • Zelenskyy ‘shocked’ by Israel’s failure to give Ukraine weapons

    Kyiv has been asking for air defence systems and other arms from Israel since shortly after the war started in February.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is “in shock” at Israel’s failure to give Kyiv anti-missile systems to help counter Russian attacks.

    The president has been asking for the weapons since shortly after the war started in February. Zelenskyy mentioned Israel’s Iron Dome system, often used to intercept rockets fired by Palestinian fighters in Gaza.

    “I don’t know what happened to Israel. I’m honestly, frankly – I am in shock because I don’t understand why they couldn’t give us air defences,” he said.

    Zelenskyy’s comments were stronger than those he made in March when he chided Israel for its reluctance to send weapons. At the time, Israel was non-committal, saying it would help Ukraine as much as it could.

    Zelenskyy made the latest remarks in an interview with French reporters on Wednesday and his office released a recording on Saturday.

    ‘Stating the facts’

    Israel, which has condemned the Russian invasion, is wary of straining ties with Moscow, a powerbroker in neighbouring Syria where Israeli forces frequently launch attacks on what they say are pro-Iranian fighters.

    In the same light, Israel sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine and expressed support for its people, but the government did not join international sanctions against Russia.

    Russia in the past accused Israel of supporting “neo-Nazis” in Ukraine.

    “I understand – they have a difficult situation, regarding the situation with Syria and Russia,” Zelenskyy said, adding he was not making accusations.

    “I am stating the facts. My conversations with the Israeli leadership have done nothing to help Ukraine.”

    In a phone call with Zelenskyy on September 1, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said he and his counterpart “talked about the fighting situation in Ukraine”, and he expressed his “condolences for the dead and injured in the war”.

    Lapid said he has called for “a diplomatic solution to end the fighting” in Ukraine.

     

    Source: Algazeera