RUSSIAN WAR CRIMES AND HUMAN RIGHT VIOLATIONS IN THE WAR AGAINST UKRAINE
Sources: 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
Summary update as of April 02, 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 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 April 02, 2023, since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, 467 children were killed and more than 944 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, 13 civilians were killed and 47 more were injured by Russian military over the period of March 30 – April 01, as a result of Russian aggression. Information is based on the data of the regional military administrations.
Kyiv and Region
According to the information of the regional administration in an address on the occasion of the anniversary of the liberation of Kyiv region from the Russian invaders, the military operations in the region lasted for more than a month. 15 communities of the Vyshgorod, Bucha and Brovary districts were captured by the Russian army. According to the National Police, the occupiers killed 1,374 Ukrainians in the Kyiv region, 280 are considered missing, 38 children were killed by Russians, and 34 more were injured.
Donetsk and Luhansk Region
On March 31, a 5-month-old boy died as a result of enemy artillery shelling in Avdiivka, Donetsk region. According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, the occupying forces of the Russian Federation carried out artillery shelling of Avdiivka. The shell hit a private house where the family lived. A 69-year-old woman and her 5-month-old grandson died in the fire that engulfed the house. According to preliminary data, the child’s mother and father, who were in the yard, were also injured.
On April 2, 2023, occupation forces of the Russian Federation shelled Kostiant – nivka and Toretsk. According to preliminary information, the fire was fired from the “Uragan” and “Grad” MLRSs, as well as S-300 SAMs and tube artillery. In Kostiantynivka, six civilians – three women and three men – died as a result of shelling. Ten more citizens were injured of varying degrees of severity. The shelling also destroyed apartment buildings, private households, farm buildings and cars. At night in Toretsk, the occupiers’ shells hit a multi-story building and damaged communications, as a result of which one person was injured and three others were poisoned by carbon monoxide.
During the past 24 hours, 9 settlements of the Donetsk region were under shelling by the military of the aggressor state of Russia. This is stated in the report of the National Police in the Donetsk region. The occupiers fired at the civilian population from aviation, “Grad” MLRSs, tube artillery, and mortars. 21 civilian objects were destroyed and damaged – 10 residential buildings, a school, a cultural center, administrative buildings, an economic structure, cars.
Kharkiv and Region
It became known that on March 28, a 13-year-old boy was wounded as a result of the shelling by the Russian troops at the village of Kolisnykivka, Kharkiv region.
On the night of April 2, the Russian occupiers launched a rocket attack on the village of Velykyi Burluk, Kupiansk district. As a result of shelling, the building of the agricultural enterprise was damaged. According to preliminary data, the enemy fired at the village from the ZRK-300 complex.
On April 1, the Russian military shelled the village of Kutkivka in the Kupiansk district with anti-aircraft missiles. A 43-year-old man died.
Kherson and Region
On April 1, the Russian military carried out another shelling of Kherson and the village of Kozatske, Beryslav district. Enemy shells hit residential buildings, as a result of which a man died in the city. Four people were injured in the village. The exact number of victims is being clarified, shelling continues.
According to Oleksandr Prokudin, the head of the Kherson regional military administration, over the past day, Russian troops have carried out 60 shelling of the region, firing 290 shells. Kherson region was under fire from Russian aircraft, “Grad” MLRSs and tube artillery.
The enemy shelled the city of Kherson 6 times. 26 shells hit residential quarters of the city, private and apartment buildings.
Prokudin reported that due to active shelling, there are victims among the civilian population: 1 person died, two more were wounded.
Sumy and Region
On April 2, Russian occupiers targeted a milk truck moving along the road in the village of Buniakine, Konotop district. The driver and passenger died from their injuries.
Zaporizhzhia and Region
On Saturday, April 1, Russian occupation forces shelled civilian infrastructure in the area of 16 settlements in the Zaporizhzhia region, the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration informs. Law enforcement officers received 11 reports about the destruction of buildings and infrastructure facilities as a result of shellings.