Amnesty International accuses Russia of war crimes in Ukraine

Amnesty International (AI) accused on Monday Russia of war crimes in Ukrainestating that hundreds of victims perished in incessant attacks in Kharkov, many of them carried out with fragmentation bombs.

After an investigation, the NGO for the defense of human rights claims to have found evidence showing that in seven attacks against neighborhoods in the second city of Ukrainein the northeast of the country, Russian forces used cluster bombs of the type N210 and 9N235 and fragmentation mines, two categories prohibited by international treaties

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Entitled “Anyone can die at any time.”this report shows how Russian forces killed and caused immense damage by relentlessly shelling residential neighborhoods in Kharkiv since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

“People died in their homes and on the streets, in parks and cemeteries, when queuing for humanitarian aid or to buy food or medicine” says Donatella Rovera, a crisis and conflict situations researcher at the headquarters of Amnesty

“The repeated use of prohibited weapons (…) is shocking and shows a real contempt for the lives of civilians”grega.

Though Russia has not signed neither the Convention on cluster munitions nor on anti-personnel mines, the right international humanitarian law prohibits attacks and the use of weapons that strike indiscriminately and constitute a crime of waremphasizes the report of Amnesty.

The Ukrainian justice has launched more than 12,000 investigations by crimes of war since the beginning of the Russian invasion, according to the prosecution

Among the testimonies collected by Amnesty figure that of Tetiana Agayeva, a 53-year-old nurse, who was in front of a his building when several cluster bombs exploded on April 15

“There was a sudden noise of firecrackers, everywhere. I saw black smoke where the explosions took place. We dropped to the ground and tried to get to safety later. Our neighbor’s son, a 16-year-old boy, was killed on the spot.” recounts.

Three people were killed and six injured when a series of cluster weapons exploded in the same neighborhood on April 26, it adds. Amnesty.

This NGO investigates 41 bombings that left a total of at least 62 dead and at least 196 injured. Members of Amnesty they interviewed 160 people in Kharkov in April and May, especially survivors of attacks, relatives of victims and witnesses.

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.