Ukraine: in Kherson, the demonstrators find themselves under the Russian bullets

Published on: 21/03/2022 – 19:17 A city in southern Ukraine besieged for two weeks, Kherson has been the scene of several demonstrations against the Russian occupiers. On Monday March 21, in front of the crowd, the Russian army opened fire and launched tear gas canisters, as evidenced by several images. At least one person was injured. The images available show that everything is happening quickly. Residents of Kherson, protesting against Russian troops, advance towards the military. A stun grenade detonates, then two, then three, then gunshots ring out. Russian troops opened fire on a peaceful crowd in Kherson, where regular protests have gone on since they captured it. Also seem to have used flash-bang grenades. There are reports (and videos) of wounded civilians. via @unian pic.twitter.com/D0GkYmpIgH— max seddon (@maxseddon) March 21, 2022 The scene takes place in and around Svobody (“Freedom” in Ukrainian) Square, Kherson. A CCTV camera films the scene in a wide shot: we can see the demonstrators advancing peacefully towards the Russian troops, located at the northeast corner of the square. In blue, the position of the Russian soldiers, northeast of the square. The demonstrators, lower in the image, walk towards them. © TPYXA thanks to an amateur video taken by a journalist from the Financial Times, which shows the same scene, we can synchronize the images, to show the unfolding of events from two different angles. Two videos that were shot at the same time. We synchronized them, to show the same scene from two different angles. Credit: TPYXA / Max Seddon Russian soldiers point guns at protestersA third video was shot after the detonations began. We can see Russian soldiers pointing Kalashnikov-type weapons at the crowd, which is fleeing the square. We precisely geotagged the video. The movement of the Russian soldiers, who leave from the northeast of the square to go towards the crowd, is identical to that visible on the video surveillance camera. Also, the tear gas is clearly visible. This allows us to affirm that it is the same scene, shot a few moments later. A Russian soldier armed with a Kalashnikov type weapon (framed in orange), pointing his assault rifle in the direction of the fleeing crowd (dotted red). © @no_itsmyturn At least one injured following these clashesTwo other videos show a man injured in the leg, which is bleeding, being carried and then taken care of by other demonstrators, still in Svobody Square. We do not publish them because of their shocking character. Due to the lack of available images, it is not possible to establish the exact causes of his injury. We have replaced the various events on an aerial view, to show their unfolding with a wider angle. In red, the angles of view of the video where we see the soldiers pointing their weapons and that of the video surveillance. In blue, the movements of Russian troops visible in the images. © The Observers / Google Earth Pro We have no indication of the type of bullets used, real or non-lethal. For his part, the Prosecutor General of Kherson announced that one person had been injured. An investigation was also opened for “violation of the laws and customs of war” (under the Ukrainian Criminal Code), following the use by Russian armed forces of “stun grenades and firearms.” , a demonstration had also taken place. Residents of Kherson, who had come in large numbers to the same Svobody square, had then managed to drive back a Russian military truck, stamped with the now famous “Z” sign. Brave Ukrainians in Kherson keep protesting against Russian invaders. Peacefully and fearlessly. They literally forced two huge Russian trucks to retreat simply by their peaceful pressure. These people are Ukraine. Their spirit of freedom is truly unbreakable. #CourageousKherson pic.twitter.com/a4O90xs6Q5— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) March 20, 2022