Donetsk activist Menendez: Most people in Donetsk strongly believe that the act of terrorism at the bus station was organized by diversionists from Ukraine
According to the Donetsk activist Enrique Menendez, residents of the city are shocked with yesterday's terrorist attack, but most of them are convinced that it is the Ukrainian army that is to blame for what happened. He said it in the comment to the GORDON .
"The residents of the city are shocked and frightened. I cannot say that people who were there understand more than those who received information from the media. However, unlike most of the Ukrainian population that believe that the attack was definitely committed by DNR terrorists, people in Donetsk are not so sure about it, to put it mildly," Menendez stated.
"Most people honestly believe that it was done by a Ukrainian subversion and intelligence group. Witnesses to this have already been found. There is a hospital near the place where it happened yesterday, the hospital staff said that they repeatedly spotted that group in the neighbourhood. There is also a large military base and the territory of military school there. In summer when military actions approached this part of the city, this area was constantly bombarded because terrorists wanted to get into the military base," the activist noted.
"After the summer offensive of DNR when they recaptured Elenovka from the Ukrainian army, the front line moved, and this area was not fired anymore. It was the first terrorist attack over the past few months," Menendez considers.
"In fact, no one can answer the question who needs it all and why. However, there are still people who blame it on a third party, believing that there is a third party that wants to continue the escalation of the conflict and who is interested in further flaring up hatred among people," the activist said.
According to Enrique Menendez, the terrorist attack in Donetsk flared up hatred both among those who blame it on insurgents, and among supporters of the version that Ukraine is to blame.
"The fact remains the fact. This event caused hatred. Those people who believe that it was done DNR felt hatred to the separatists, and those people who firmly believe that it was done by diversionists from Ukraine felt hatred to Ukraine. The black deed has been done and another wave of hatred has been stirred up," Menendez pointed out.
"The OSCE observers arrived immediately, but they have already announced that investigation of such cases is beyond their competence. I believe that events like those that took place in Volnovakha and in Donetsk yesterday are terrible by their nature. Not just because innocent people were killed but also because these events took place in the territory controlled by one of the sides. The other side cannot automatically gain access to conduct its investigation and the parties have to fight a virtual information war against each other," the activist believes.
"We will never know the truth. As a resident of Donetsk, I note that nobody needs the truth even here in Donetsk. All people who believe that one of the parties is guilty readily blame every new tragedy on those who they consider their enemies and do not think about it anymore,"- said Menendez.
According to the activist, many Donetsk residents who still remained in the city consider moving away after the terrorist attack.
"The effect is achieved. People are panic-stricken. The number of people who want to leave Donetsk has increased. A lot of people think about whether they should continue living here. Sometimes one can hardly force oneself to go out because we have been reminded once again that there is nowhere in the city that once can feel completely safe," the activist believes.