The two French humanitarian workers killed in early February in southeastern Ukraine were victims of a
“deliberate attack”
carried out by drones, the Swiss NGO for which they worked said on Tuesday.
The day after this attack on February 1, French President Emmanuel Macron denounced a
“Russian strike”
constituting a
“cowardly and undignified act”
.
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The team of six collaborators from Swiss Protestant Entraide (Eper, Heks in German) was attacked while on a mission to assess the humanitarian situation in the region surrounding the town of Beryslav, on the north bank of the Dnieper River. , near the front line.
“As they were leaving Beryslav, they were suddenly attacked by drones
,” the NGO said in a statement.
Two NGO staff members, two French, lost their lives, and four others, three French and one Ukrainian, were injured.
An internal investigation by the NGO, based on the statements of those directly involved and affected and those of other witnesses, shows that it was a
“deliberate attack”
carried out by drones.
“No Weapons” symbol
In France, the anti-terrorism prosecution (Pnat) opened an investigation after the death of the two French humanitarian workers.
This investigation has been opened for war crimes and intentional harm to the life of a person protected by international humanitarian law in particular.
Entrusted to the gendarmes of the Central Office for the Fight against Crimes Against Humanity (OCLCH), this is the 10th procedure opened by the Pnat since the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine in February 2022. According to the Swiss NGO , the objective of the mission was to assess areas where humanitarian assistance could be provided.
Before accessing the area where the attack took place, his team had obtained permission from the civil and military administrations of Kherson Oblast, according to the statement.
His collaborators traveled in two white 4x4s, fitted with the NGO logo on the doors and the hood, as well as
“No weapons”
symbols .
After passing two military checkpoints, they reached the humanitarian hub of Beryslav for a meeting with the local humanitarian aid coordinator.
They were attacked as they left Beryslav.
One vehicle was hit and the occupants of the other vehicle stopped to assist their colleagues.
Other drone strikes followed, injuring the six employees and causing fatal injuries to Guennadi Guermanovitch (senior security coordinator) and Adrien Pajol (roving program manager), both of French nationality, the NGO indicates.
The injured took refuge in two houses, taking with them the bodies of their colleagues, before being evacuated at nightfall to a local health center, then the next day to kyiv.