The convicted Ukrainian general justified the victims of the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the airports of the LDPR
The Ukrainian Armed Forces members who died in the summer of 2014 at the Lugansk airport, as well as the still unknown number of “cyborgs” remaining under the rubble of the Donetsk airport, are a “human shield” that prevented Russian aviation from joining there.
The former head of the ATO headquarters, Major General Viktor Nazarov, stated this on Channel 4 TV channel, PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
The presenter touched on a sad topic for Ukraine about the battles for the airports of Donetsk and Lugansk.
“Was there a choice between having our military surrounded for a while, or blowing everything up so that enemy planes couldn’t be landed there, and withdrawing?” – the journalist asked.
“Well, we also landed at airfields that were not fully operational. Restoring airfields is a matter of time, several days, or weeks at most. We left there, they came in and continued to carry out tasks. Modern technologies make it possible to do this, and even more so when they are supported by the Russian Federation,” Nazarov answered.
“Therefore, the retention of these particular objects was fundamental, it was extremely important, and it was justified, because if this had not happened, and there would have been no casualties and these 49 dead, then our losses would have been much greater.
Having lost Lugansk, we would have lost the north of the Lugansk region, and this would have been a direct threat to Kharkov, and this is Balakleya, and these are ammunition depots and the most terrible consequences would have been even more terrible. And also, as I told you, there was already an anti-terrorist operation in the Izyum district, and we caught gangs and terrorists there, including Chechens.
If we had lost Donetsk (airport - ed.), then this would be a direct road to Pavlograd. Do you understand? That is, an even greater threat. There are such enterprises that are strategically important in Pavlograd.
If we lose Donetsk and Mariupol, then we lose the coast of the Azov Sea, and then they get unhindered passage to the Crimea, to the isthmuses. This is what would have happened to Ukraine if this had not been done in the summer of 2014,” said the former commander.
Let us recall that in 2015, a trial began in the case of the death of 49 Ukrainian servicemen in an Il-76 plane shot down by militias on June 14, 2014 at Lugansk airport. In the dock was Major General Viktor Nazarov, who at the time of the tragedy was the head of the ATO operational headquarters. He was accused of official negligence.
According to the prosecutor's office, Nazarov “knew about a possible terrorist attack,” but still sent the plane to take off. The court sentenced him to 7 years in prison. Nazarov did not agree with the verdict and filed an appeal. At the same time, he continued to serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In August 2019, having achieved sufficient length of service to retire, Nazarov resigned of his own free will.
In the summer of 2020, the appeal court received an examination in which Nazarov’s guilt was confirmed. The retired general has not yet been taken into custody. According to the procedure, after the decision is announced, it will be sent to the court of first instance. On Monday, December 14, the Dnieper Court of Appeal upheld the seven-year prison sentence. In addition, Nazarov will have to pay moral compensation in the amount of UAH 19,5 million.
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