Speaking to 19FortyFive on Wednesday, retired U.S. Army SGT Jonathan Lubecky revealed how residential infrastructure in Ukraine is still being deliberately targeted by Russian forces despite claims from the Kremlin that there is no intention to destroy the country.
19FortyFive could not independently verify the video contained within this #Ukraine report, and the name and location of the school could not be revealed over concerns expressed by the American veteran who provided the materials. A new analysis piece is coming on this soon. pic.twitter.com/fPUTFHnk6s
— 19FortyFive (@19_forty_five) December 22, 2022
Lubecky, who is currently assisting with humanitarian aid in Donetsk Oblast, just 10 miles from the front lines, provided video footage of the aftermath of a strike that appears to have occurred close to, or immediately at, a local orphanage. While we know that sometimes embeds fail to load for many issues, we have posted the video to Twitter here and here.
This video was obtained by 19FortyFive from
RET. Army SGT Jonathan Lubecky, who is in #Ukraine.
19FortyFive could not independently verify the video, and the location of the school could not be revealed over concerns expressed by the creator. This will be part of a new story. pic.twitter.com/FVTODPp76V— 19FortyFive (@19_forty_five) December 22, 2022
NOTE: 19FortyFive could not independently verify the photographs or the video contained within this report, and the name and location of the school could not be revealed over concerns expressed by the American veteran who provided the materials. Also, note the second video above is not of the school but of general damage in the area. You can see pictures of the school below.
The footage recorded, from a moving vehicle, shows a dust cloud rising into the air following a strike, and Lubecky tells 19FortyFive that seconds after the clip was recorded, Russian troops began to approach.
“That’s when the Russians started walking artillery our way,” Lubecky said. “So we turned around and that’s when we were going to the orphanage. We couldn’t go.”
Lubecky explained that the orphanage he and others were planning on visiting that day also houses local women and children who still live in the nearby towns, but who spend more time at the facility because it has better access to power.
“And the interesting thing is, it’s not an orphanage in the traditional sense. What I mean by that is, yes, there are orphans there, but there are also mothers and children there who still live in the town but who stay in the orphanage because it is safer and has power.”
Schools Are Adapting
Lubecky told 19FortyFive how a school in the region where he is providing aid had been hit by Russian artillery strikes during school hours.
“Every day, we load up the trucks, and we go to different villages. The picture of me below the balcony, that’s a school that was hit by Russian missiles during school hours,” Lubecky said.
“Fortunately, kids were at recess. And so they blew up all the schools in the town, and I met with the mayor today, and we had a conversation about how they can continue to educate the kids.”
Local children in Donetsk are reportedly broken up into groups and educated in constantly changing locations to keep them safe.
19FortyFive could not independently verify the photographs or the video contained within this report, and the name and location of the school could not be revealed over concerns expressed by the American veteran who provided the materials.
19FortyFive could not independently verify the photographs or the video contained within this report, and the name and location of the school could not be revealed over concerns expressed by the American veteran who provided the materials.
19FortyFive could not independently verify the photographs or the video contained within this report, and the name and location of the school could not be revealed over concerns expressed by the American veteran who provided the materials.
Russia Clearly To Blame
Since the beginning of the invasion, Kremlin officials have sought to blame Ukrainians for artillery and missile strikes on civilian infrastructure and schools – but Lubecky said there was no doubt these attacks are coming from the Russian side.
“Here’s the interesting thing for me, because I was in the army and in artillery. So, you can tell who fired the rounds by how it hits the building. So interestingly enough, look for the big gaping holes in the building and that’s the direction the Russians are in,” Lubecky said, adding that Russian forces are destroying entire towns and the lives of “ethnic Russians” Putin claims to be protecting.
“The Ukrainians are not going to turn their artillery around and fire back into Ukraine,” he continued. “Because I was in artillery and I can look at the impacts and know which side fire them, one thing that genuinely needs to be said is that the Russians keep saying they’re doing this to help and save ethnic Russians – but that’s bullsh*t because they’re levelling towns.”
Jack Buckby is 19FortyFive’s Breaking News Editor. He is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
