Donetsk, April 26 - DAN. The political course pursued by (Ukrainian President Petr) Poroshenko’s regime in Donbass is aimed at full or partial extermination of the region’s population, said DPR ombudswoman Darya Morozova in a testimony at the session of the Ukrainian People’s Tribunal (UPT) on Thursday.

“All Kiev’s actions were made in direct violation of human rights. If the Republic’s leadership had not begun paying allowances and pensions to residents, people would have been left without livelihood and perished,” said Morozova as she replied to presiding judge Elena Shishkina’s question about whether Ukrainian authorities’ actions were genocide against Donbass residents.

On November 15, 2014, Ukrainian President Petr Poroshenko signed a degree to terminate the payment of welfare benefits including pensions in the conflict zone.

According to Morozova, who was a witness for the prosecution at the UPT session, the resumption of welfare payments to Donbass residents is a permanent issue on the agenda of the humanitarian subgroup in Minsk. However, Kiev made no moves to rectify the situation, she said. The calls by international organisations had no impact on Poroshenko’s policy.

On Thursday, the UPT reviewed the charges of genocide against the Poroshenko regime which made the last, sixth batch of charges against the incumbent Ukrainian government.

Previously, the Tribunal brought charges against eight Poroshenko regime officials including Ukrainian President Petr Poroshenko, Interior Minister Arsen Avakov, National Security and Defence Council Secretary Alexander Turchinov, Prime Minister Vladimir Groisman, Chief of the General Staff Viktor Muzhenko, Defence Minister Stepan Poltorak, parliament speaker Andrey Parubiy and former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk.

The UPT set up by the initiative group of Ukrainian citizens living in Donetsk and Lugansk is reviewing cases in accordance with the Ukrainian legislation and norms of international law.*jk