RUSSIAN WAR CRIMES AND HUMAN RIGHT VIOLATIONS IN UKRAINE

RUSSIAN WAR CRIMES AND HUMAN RIGHT VIOLATIONS IN THE WAR AGAINST UKRAINE

IRINA MIROCHNIK

Summary update as of January 01, 2023

The use of weapons of mass destruction against civilians is a crime against humanity and a violation of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949.

By killing civilians, the aggressor’s forces continue to commit crimes against humanity as de- fined by the Statute of the International Military Tribunal and the Rome Statute of the Interna- tional Criminal Court, cynically disregarding all the requirements of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War.

According to these norms, deliberate attacks on civilians who are not directly involved in hostilities are equated to war crimes.

The taking of civilian hostages is a direct violation of Articles 3 and 34 of the Geneva Convention with regard to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

As of January 01, 2023, since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 450 children were killed and more than 872 children have been injured. Due to the active hostilities in affected regions, there is no possibility to inspect the areas of shelling and destruction.

In Ukraine, 8 civilians were killed over the days of December 30-31, and 57 more were injured. This was announced by the deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Tymoshenko based on the data of the regional military administrations.

According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as a result of a massive Russian attack on the eve of the New Year, the civil infrastructure of eight regions of Ukraine was damaged.

In Ukraine, more than 1,200 objects of cultural infrastructure were damaged or destroyed as a result of Russian aggression. Oleksandr Tkachenko, Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, told about it.

3,126 educational institutions were damaged due to bombing and shelling by the armed forces of Russia. 337 of them were completely destroyed.

Kyiv and Region

47 billion 483 million hryvnias is the amount of damage to the environment of the capital and Kyiv region during the 10 months of the war. The air suffered the most as a result of the burning of oil depots, commercial warehouses and energy infrastructure facilities. This is stated in the message of the State Environmental Inspection of the Capital District.

In total, more than 27,000 infrastructure objects of the Kyiv region were damaged or destroyed as a result of Russian aggression. This was reported by Oleksiy Kuleba. Residential buildings (about 24,000), schools, kindergartens, and medical facilities became targeted targets of the enemy.

In total, 46 out of 69 territorial communities of Kyiv region (270 settlements) were affected. 15 communities were under occupation.
1,368 residents of the region became victims of hostilities and missile attacks by the invaders. Unfortunately, this number is not final. Law enforcement officers are still finding burial sites of civilians tortured by the invaders.

In the capital, as a result of a massive missile attack by the Russian Federation on December 31, one person died, 22 were injured, three of them are in serious condition. In particular, Japanese journalist Wataru Sekita was injured.

Hotels, the Palace of Ukraine in the city center, buildings of two schools and kindergartens were also damaged. In addition, the buildings of Taras Shevchenko KNU were damaged as a result of the attack. In the building of the Faculty of Biology, windows were broken, laboratories and unique frescoes inside were destroyed.

The windows of the building of the sports faculty, radio physics, cybernetics, and physics laboratory were also broken.

Hotel in the center of Kyiv before and after Russian missile strike on Dec 31.

On New Year’s Eve, Kyiv and the region were again attacked by missiles and kamikaze drones. An infrastructure object was damaged in the region. This was announced by the head of the regional military administration Oleksiy Kuleba.

Remnants of the Russian kamikaze drone that attacked Kyiv region on New Year’s Eve, with a text “Happy New Year” written on it.

Donetsk and Luhansk Region

On December 30, a 13-year-old girl was injured as a result of shelling by Russian troops in the village of Dalnie, Donetsk region.

In Donetsk region, on December 31, the Russians shelled the residential quarters of 11 settlements 18 times. A civilian was injured. This was reported by the press service of the National Police in the Donetsk region on January 1.
The Russian military bombarded the cities with rockets, “Grad” MLRSs, and tube artillery. 26 civilian objects were destroyed and damaged – 19 residential buildings, a school, a factory, a transformer, a granary, etc.

Only according to official data, at least 417 residents of Luhansk region died as a result of Russia’s war against Ukraine. This was reported by the Luhansk regional military administration. At the same time, the administration notes that the actual number of dead may be much higher.

Dnipro and Region

On New Year’s Eve, the Russian army attacked Nikopol. A civilian was injured. The mayor of the city Oleksandr Sayuk reports this.
Damage included nine high-rise and four private residential buildings, six outbuildings and one car. In addition, a number of commercial facilities, a medical facility, stores, a hotel, and pharmacies were partially destroyed. A fire broke out in the city due to shelling. Power lines are damaged.

Kharkiv and Region

Over the past day, the Russian occupiers shelled about 15 settlements in the Kharkiv region. In total, the enemy launched 31 missile and 12 air strikes and fired more than 70 rounds of anti-aircraft fire. The head of the regional military admin- istration reported that in Kupiansk as a result of enemy shelling, farm buildings were damaged and large-scale fires broke out.

Kherson and Region

During the recording of the crimes of the Russian invaders in the Kherson region,

the death of two boys aged 13 and 17 was established.

Also, on December 31, two children, aged 12 and 13, were injured due to shelling of Kherson. A 13-year-old boy came under Russian fire twice on New Year’s Day. This was announced by the head of the regional administration, Yaroslav Yanushevich.

According to Yanushevich, the teenager was seriously injured and hospitalized, and a few hours after being hospitalized, he had to be evacuated from the hospital in Kherson due to new shelling.

In the first minutes of 2023, Russia struck the Kherson Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital, firing about seven shells. As a result of another Russian shelling in Kherson, 1 person died, 1 was injured.
In total, invaders shelled Kherson 18 times last day. Enemy shells hit critical infrastructure, private and apartment buildings.

Khmelnytskyi and Region

During the massive Russian attack on Ukraine on December 31, eight vehicles, 13 residential buildings, and warehouses were damaged in Khmelnytskyi region. There is a hit at the gas station. Eight civilians were hospitalized, the youngest victim was 19 years old.

On January 1, it became known that a 22-year-old wounded woman died in Khmelnytskyi region as a result of Russian shelling. This was announced by the head of the Khmelnytskyi regional military administration, Serhiy Hamalii.

Mykolaiv and Region

On December 31, Mykolaiv came under missile fire from the Russian Federation. Seven civilians were injured. This was announced by the head of the regional military administration Vitaly Kim. According to him, Mykolaiv was fired at with 6 Iskander-type missiles.

As a result of the strikes, two residential buildings were destroyed, another 12 residential buildings were damaged, as well as three educational institutions. In addition, there was a fire on the territory of the garage cooperative. About 20 garages were damaged.

Also, according to the information of the Air Force Command “South”, the invaders carried out strikes on the port area and the settlement of Ochakiv commu- nity.
As a result of the attack, residential and multi-storey buildings, an enterprise were partially destroyed and damaged, and four fires were also recorded. The consequences are being clarified.

Zaporizhzhia and Region

On December 31, 2 private residential buildings were partially destroyed, and about 8 more were damaged as a result of a missile attack by the Russian army on the Zaporizhzhia region. In addition, cars, a power supply line and a gas pipe were damaged.

As a result of the explosion, 1 man, 2 women (one of them is pregnant), and a child were injured. A 14-year-old girl is in critical condition in intensive care. Oleksandr Starukh, the head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration, announced this.

Confirmed: Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Office of the Prosecutor General, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Emergency Service, National Police, relevant city and town councils and regional state administrations, Government Office for the Coordination of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine.

02-01-2023

[Writer Irina Mirochnik is the President at IMMER Group & Doctor of Philosophy in Law(PhD)]

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