RUSSIAN WAR CRIMES AND HUMAN RIGHT VIOLATIONS IN THE WAR AGAINST UKRAINE, June 14, 2022

RUSSIAN WAR CRIMES

IRINA MIROCHNIK

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 June 14, 2022, since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 288 children have died and more than 527 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.

Donetsk and Luhansk Regions

In Severodonetsk, Russian troops are destroying residential high-rise buildings and industrial facilities with artillery. This was announced by the head of the Luhansk regional military administration Serhiy Haidai. Purposeful shelling of the objects of Severodonetsk Azot plant and Skloplastyk (Fiberglass) plant has been recorded. The bridge, the premises of the regional State Emergency Service were destroyed, the nearby villages of Synetsky and Pavlograd were shelled. In the old districts of Severodonetsk there are many damaged high-rise buildings. Many houses are shelled and then demolished to the ground.

According to Haidai, it is becoming known every day about the dead, who are difficult to reach due to the density of the shelling.

On June 13, the Russians killed three civilians in the Donetsk region: 1 in Avdiivka, 1 in Novoselivka Persha, and 1 in Kurakhivka. Another 5 people were injured.

In addition, two civilians were injured in the Luhansk region and died in the Donetsk region. This was announced by the head of the Donetsk regional military administration Pavlo Kyrylenko.

It is currently impossible to determine the exact number of victims in Mariupol and Volnovakha.

During the past 24hrs, the Russians destroyed and damaged 60 buildings in 8 settlements of Donetsk region – 40 residential buildings (including 9 apartment buildings), humanitarian aid warehouse, school, primary care center, kindergarten, stadium, dentistry, hotel , cafes, shops, garages and outbuildings.

About 540-560 civilians remain under constant fire from the Russian occupiers in the bomb shelters of the Azot plant in Severodonetsk, Luhansk region. This was announced on June 14 by the head of the State Administration of Severodonetsk Oleksandr Striuk.

“In Warsaw, at the Institute of Mother and Child, #children under the age of 14 are #treated, who were #raped, #tortured, and had their teeth knocked out by Russian gangs.”

Kharkiv and Region

Last night, the occupiers fired on Kharkiv (including district), Izium, Bohodukhiv and Chuhuiv districts. This was announced by the head of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration Oleh Synegubov.

According to him, in the village of Malynivka, two children, an 11-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl, were injured in the shelling of the occupiers. A three- month-old child was injured in the town of Pechenigy, unfortunately her 35- year-old mother died. In the village of Zavgorodnie one was wounded.

As a result of shelling in the village of Zhukovske, a civilian was injured. In the Kharkiv district, a fire broke out in warehouses and four trucks were on fire due to the impact of four Russian missiles. The area of ignition was 2000 square meters.

Chernihiv and Region

The Department for Civilian Population and Defense of the Chernihiv regional mil- itary administration named the number of houses affected by the missile strike in the Pryluky district on June 13. It is now known that as a result of the rocket attack there was a fire near the village of Tykhe, Pryluky district. The fire completely destroyed 6 buildings intended for various purposes.

Lviv and Region

Today, June 14, 6 people, including one child, were injured due to the launch of enemy missiles in the Zolochiv region. The head of the Lviv regional military administration told about it.

According to him, the Russian missile was shot down by air defense forces over Zolochiv. Its wreckage fell on a brick factory.

Ternopil and Region

On Tuesday, June 14, during an air raid, the Russians fired missiles at the Ternopil region. As a result, 23 people were injured. This was announced during a briefing of the Regional Defense Council.

Zaporizhzhia and Region

The Russians stole 54 freight cars with agglomeration ore with a total weight of 3,240 tons from the territory of the Zaporizhzhia Iron Ore Plant. This was reported by the Defense Forces of the Zaporizhzhia region.

The Russian military stole almost 2,000 tons of grain crops from enterprises in the occupied territories of Zaporizhzhia region. This was reported in the press service of the Prosecutor General’s Office.

The investigation established that during May-June 2022, Russian servicemen confiscated products in the occupied Vasylivka district. They forced workers of a branch of one of the companies to load wheat on vehicles without license plates marked “Z”, threatening with weapons and physical violence. In an unknown direction, the occupiers exported 1.2 thousand tons of grain.

In addition, in the village of Nesteryantsi, Polohy district, the Russians stole 500 tons of sunflower seeds. The invaders came to the agricultural enterprise with weapons.

Russian terrorist forces continue to cynically violate international humanitarian law and the rules of war. The Russians fired on civilian infrastructure and peaceful households in the village of Novomykolaivka and the town of Huliaipole in the Polohy district.

17 objects were damaged and destroyed.

Dnipro and Region

The head of the Kryvyi Rih military administration, Oleksandr Vilkul, said that last night the Russian military fired on Zelenodolsk in the Kryvyi Rih district. The occupiers fired from the Uragan MLRS, using cluster munitions to attack the residential sector.

Dozens of houses, one lyceum and two kindergartens were damaged. One woman born in 1976 died. Three women, born in 1965, 1970 and 1977, grandmother born in 1938, were injured. A man born in 1977 was also injured.

Sumy and Region

On June 13, an enemy drone fired a grenade launcher at the Velyka Pysarivka community in the Sumy region. As a result of the explosion 2 people were injured, one died.

During the night of June 14, the Russian military fired artillery and mortars at the territories of three communities in the Sumy region. This was announced by the head of Sumy regional military administration – Dmytro Zhyvytskyi. According to him, mortar shelling of the Znob-Novgorodske community took place at night. The oc- cupiers used anti-aircraft guns, MLRS and mortars, 11 explosions were recorded. Previously, 1 object of civil infrastructure was damaged.

The territories of the Krasnopillia community were shelled with artillery. Also at 6:30 the Russian military opened artillery fire on the territory of the Esman community, 28 explosions were recorded.

According to the State Borderguard Service, border guards counted more than 10 explosions of Russian mines and artillery shells in the Shostka community at night.

Mykolaiv and Region

Last night enemy troops fired at five settlements in the Mykolaiv region, there are victims, the police records consequences. On June 13, 23 people were wounded in shelling by Russian troops. The head of the Mykolaiv regional council reported about it.

As it is noted, during the day of June 13, Mykolaiv, Bereznehuvate, Lymany,

Lepetykha and Chervonyi Yar were under regular shelling.

Damage to three private houses, a supermarket and other civilian

infrastructure was recorded. The final information is still being established.

As of June 14, since the beginning of the Russian invasion in Mykolaiv region, 4,853 civilian objects have been partially or completely damaged. This was reported

by the press service of the Mykolaiv regional military administration.

Of them:

– housing facilities – 3056,

– medical institutions – 34,

– educational institutions – 210,

– cultural institutions – 99,

– objects of industrial enterprises – 43,

– life support facilities: gas – 631, electricity – 401, water – 23, heat supply – 71,

– other non-military facilities – 285.

Currently, 6,578 consumers are left without gas supply.

At present power supply, water supply, drainage in 95 settlements of the Bashtanka and Mykolaiv areas are stopped.

Sources: Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Emergency Service, National Police, relevant city and town councils and regional state administrations

17-06-2022

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

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