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

UKRAINE

IRINA MIROCHNIK

RUSSIAN WAR CRIMES AND HUMAN RIGHT VIOLATIONS IN THE WAR AGAINST UKRAINE, July 16, 2022:

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 defined by the Statute of the International Military Tribunal and the Rome Statute of the International 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 July 16, 2022, since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 353 children have died and more than 662 children have been injured. Due to the active hostilities in affected regions, there is no possibility to inspect the areas of shelling and destruction. The actual data on dead and injured children in these regions are currently being established.

2,138 educational institutions were damaged due to bombing and shelling by the armed forces of the Russian Federation. Of them, 221 were completely destroyed.

In the fifth month of a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, Russia directs 70% of its missile strikes on civilian infrastructure.

This was stated by the spokesman of the Ministry of Defense Oleksandr Motuzianyk.

Donetsk and Luhansk Regions

In the Donetsk region, 54 civilian objects were destroyed by shelling during the day. This was reported by the press service of the National Police. Law enforcement officers documented 21 attacks by the Russian occupiers on the civilian population.

It is noted that the following were destroyed: 36 residential buildings, including 11 apartment buildings, a school, a stadium, a coke-chemical plant, a market, a shop, a central square, power lines, a water pumping station, and two fields.

On the morning of July 16, the occupiers once again shelled the town of Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region. There is destruction of residential buildings in the private sector.

This was reported by the head of the Donetsk regional military administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko.

On Friday, July 15, Russian terrorists shelled Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region.

The Russians used a Tornado-S rockets with a high-explosive fragmentation charge against civilians. As a result of the enemy attack, seven residential buildings and two infrastructure objects were damaged. Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk regional military administration, told about it.

The mayor of Pokrovsk, Ruslan Trebushkin, reported that on July 16, as a result of the Russian missile attack on the Pokrovsk community in the Donetsk region, the civilian population was injured. According to the mayor, there are victims and wounded people, their number is being determined. According to the information of the National Police of the Donetsk region, the Russians struck civilians twice with an “Iskander-M” missiles. At least 27 residential buildings were damaged.

Sumy and Region

On the morning of July 16, Russian troops shelled the territory of the Sumy region with mortars and artillery. The enemy also launched rockets from airplanes.

This was reported by the head of the Sumy regional military administration, Dmytro Zhyvytskyi. He notes that there are significant destructions in the community.

In particular, as a result of the morning shelling by the Russian troops in the Sumy region, a school was destroyed, private houses, an agricultural enterprise were damaged, and animals were killed.

Mykolaiv and Region

Yesterday, 17 civilians were injured in Mykolaiv region as a result of shelling by the Russian occupiers.

This was reported by the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Council, Hanna Zamazeeva.

Kharkiv and Region

As the head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, Oleh Synegubov, reported, on the night of July 15, the Russian occupiers launched rocket attacks on Chuhuiv. 3 people died – 2 men aged 60 and 68, a woman aged 70. Doctors hospitalized 3 more people in medical institutions.

The Russians also destroyed an apartment building, damaged a school, and a building materials store.

Residential house in Chuhuiv damaged by Russian shelling. Photo: State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kharkiv region

Zaporizhzhia and Region

Zaporizhzhia region authorities has received 13 reports of the destruction of civil infrastructure objects as a result of shelling by Russian occupation troops over the past day, the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration reports.

Over the past day, the rescuers of Zaporizhzhia twice battled flames in fields where wheat is ripening. In total, as a result of the actions of the Russians, the harvest was lost on an area of about 35 hectares.

Dnipro and Region

On July 15, Russians killed three people, injured 17 others, damaged 13 houses and a school in Dnipro region. This was announced by the head of the Dnipro regional military administration Valentyn Reznichenko.

According to him, the Russian army attacked the Nikopol district. Residential quarters of Nikopol were deliberately hit with Grad MLRS. A total of 53 rockets were fired over the city. 12 five-story buildings, a school and a vocational school building were damaged. One woman was injured and hospitalized. The bodies of two dead people were recovered from the rubble.

Enemy shelling is causing more and more damage to farmers. As a result of the hits, farms, granaries and grain fields are burning.

Thus, about 400 hectares of fields with crops were destroyed in the Dnipro region as a result of hostilities. This was reported by the Dnipro regional military administration.

Odesa and Region

Russian occupiers shelled Odesa early in the morning of July 16. A peaceful 30- year-old resident was injured by hostile actions. A fragment of an enemy mis- sile hit him in the head.

Enemy missiles hit the civilian infrastructure of Odessa – the warehouse of a production and trading company. The fire from the explosion engulfed ware- houses on an area of 10,000 square meters.

Vinnytsia and Region

As a result of the rocket attack on Vinnytsia, which took place in the morning of July 14, 24 people were killed. A woman who received multiple burns died in the regional hospital on July 16. This was announced by the head of the regional military administration, Serhii Borzov.

68 victims continue to be treated in hospitals. Of them, 14 are in serious condition and 4 are in critical condition.

The missile attack on Vinnytsia destroyed or damaged 55 residential buildings, the State Emergency Service reported on July 16. In addition, 40 cars and two trams were damaged.

Cherkasy and Region

On July 16, Russian troops launched a missile attack on one of the villages of the Chyhyryn territorial community of the Cherkasy region. There were two explosions, the head of the regional military administration Ihor Taburets said. According to him, the enemy targeted an agricultural enterprise. Agricultural machinery was destroyed and damage was caused to a small number of livestock.

19-07-2022

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

Mahabahu.com is an Online Magazine with collection of premium Assamese and English articles and posts with cultural base and modern thinking.  You can send your articles to editor@mahabahu.com / editor@mahabahoo.com ( For Assamese article, Unicode font is necessary)