UN report documents at least 441 Russian war crimes in Ukraine

High Commissioner UN Human Rights Commissioner Volker Türk presented this Thursday a report from his office in which he documents the killings of at least 441 civilians in Ukraine (341 men, 72 women, 20 boys and eight girls) that he believes could constitute war crimes by the invading Russian army.

“There are strong indications that the summary executions documented in the report may constitute deliberate killings, a war crime,” said Turk, presenting the report at a special session of the Human Rights Council. Ukraine.

The study, which details hundreds of such killings, was prepared after three field visits and focused in particular on violations committed between February 24 and April 6, 2022 in 102 locations in the Kyiv region, Chernikov and Sumy.

“In some cases, Russian soldiers executed civilians in makeshift detention facilities, and in other cases, in their homes, backyards, porches or checkpoints on the ground,” the Austrian high commissioner said.

Executions were carried out even in cases “when the victim clearly showed that he did not pose a threat, for example, by raising his hands,” the department added.

Türk also pointed out that the fact that 88% of those killed were men and boys seemed to indicate that they were disproportionately targeted as victims because of their gender.

The High Commissioner also condemned in his speech other human rights violations committed by Russian troopssuch as attacks by armored vehicles and tanks on residential buildings, which resulted in more civilian casualties.

The report indicated that the place where UN documented the highest number of killings of civilians during the study period in the city of Bucha, on the outskirts of Kyiv, where executions of 73 people (54 men, 16 women, two boys and one girl) were confirmed between 4 and 30 March of this year.

“On a 150-meter section of Yablunskaya Street in Bucha, 14 civilians (including a girl) were killed, their bodies were left there,” Turk said.

Interviews with witnesses and survivors

In addition to over 400 murders confirmed by the Directorate UN The Human Rights Commission is investigating 198 more complaints, including 105 in Bucha, by interviewing witnesses and survivors, and will continue its investigations in Kharkiv and Kherson regions, the High Commissioner stressed.

In addition to executions, other allegations of abuses will be investigated, including arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, torture, ill-treatment and sexual abuse, he added.

The office’s report released today is similar to the report prepared by the fact-finding mission itself. UN for Ukraine, composed of three experts, which also denounced evidence of Russian war crimes in the neighboring country when it presented its preliminary findings in September (to be updated in March 2023).

Turk recalled that as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 18 million people, almost half of the country’s population, are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, while 7.83 million Ukrainians have fled the country, and another 6.5 million have become internally displaced.

Ten million Ukrainians suffer from blackouts Russia it attacks infrastructure facilities, including power plants, with missiles, and millions more do not have access to water and heating networks, he recalled.

To these figures, the High Commissioner added 1.5 million Ukrainian children “at risk of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress and other mental conditions” who survived a war “marked by serious violations of international humanitarian law and human rights.” .

Turk expressed his wish that allegations of human rights violations be properly investigated and those responsible brought to justice in a fair and independent trial.

“It is necessary to promote a judicial system that provides a fair trial and fairness for the population, guaranteeing the prompt and transparent investigation of all complaints of violations, both recent and those that began in 2014,” he said.

However, he expressed doubts about such a possibility, since the Russian authorities had not yet investigated any of the reports of abuse, while Ukraine “for this it faces resource and capacity problems” (EFE)