The UN Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine has accused Russia of committing war-related crimes in Ukraine; the report is based on the evidence gathered over the course of the investigation.
Upon the request of the Human Rights Council (HRC), the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine was set up last year to conduct an investigation and take necessary action. The inquiry was conducted from the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 until mid-January 2023.
UN Report
Russia reportedly violated several international human rights and humanitarian laws in Ukraine, including attacks on infrastructure, deportation of children, torture, rape, unlawful confinement, and killing of Ukrainians.
Russian troops focused on “attacks with explosive weapons in populated areas.” There was complete disregard for civilians, who were inflicted with pain and suffering with continuous attacks.
The findings were based on 610 interviews, satellite imagery, and inspections of detention sites and graves. Further, the Commission “visited 56 towns, cities, and settlements” over the course of eight separate trips to Ukraine to prepare the report.
Independent commission of inquiry on Ukraine releases updated findings to UN Human Rights Council.
— United Nations (@UN) March 16, 2023
Report documents human rights abuses committed by Russian forces, including violations that amount to war crimes. https://t.co/YrZm5nYWWv
During a press briefing on Thursday, Chairman of the Commission Erik Møse stated, “human losses and general disregard for the life of the civilians, as regularly reported by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, are shocking.”
Patterns of Violations
Russian armed forces’ attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which began in October 2022, caused severe damage to “thousands of residential buildings, over 3,000 educational institutions, and more than 600 medical facilities.”
A key finding of the report relates to the unlawful confinement of Ukrainian civilians in Russian-controlled territories. Russian forces allegedly used “consistent methods of torture” in a “systematic and widespread manner” against specific individuals.
Commissioner Pablo de Grieff, one of the three independent members of the Commission, said that “elements of planning and availability of resources” pointed towards the Russian troops having committed crimes against humanity.
The report highlights sexual crimes by the Russian military personnel against men, women, and girls, “aged from 4 to 82,” both in Ukraine and the Russian Federation. These incidents were more prominent in the areas annexed by the Russian troops.
Russia committed war crimes in Ukraine, UN-backed inquiry finds https://t.co/qL1zBaMl5C pic.twitter.com/WfCTczE7WL
— New York Post (@nypost) March 16, 2023
Further, the report claims that Ukrainian children were deported and separated from their parents without any reason. The transfer of the children by the Russian troops “was not justified by safety or medical reasons.” Many of the deported children failed to establish a source of contact with their families and might “lose contact with them indefinitely,” the Commission stated.
The Commission has gathered enough evidence to conclude that, in accordance with the definition of aggression as stated in the UN General Assembly resolution 3314, the Russian invasion and attack “qualify as acts of aggression against Ukraine.”
Russia’s Denial and Ukraine’s Violations
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed that although these allegations have been commonly heard since the beginning of the war, there is no objectivity to them, and “[Russia is] ready to analyse specific cases, answer questions, provide data, statistics and facts.”
However, the report noted that the Ukrainian armed forces have committed a “small number” of indiscriminate acts of violence as well, including “torture and wounding of prisoners of war.”
The Commission’s report will be presented to the UNHRC on Monday. The Commission recommends further investigation.