Russia's actions in Ukraine amounts to war crimes - OSCE
OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) has found evidence that russia's military hostilities in Ukraine amount to war crimes and human rights violations.
According to Censor.NЕТ, citing Ukrinform, this is stated in the "Interim report on allegations of violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in Ukraine" published on the OSCE website.
"ODIHR found credible evidence through its monitoring that the conduct of hostilities by the russian federation during the reporting period was characterized by a general disregard for the basic principles of distinction, proportionality and security measures under international humanitarian law (IHL), which may amount to a crime against humanity," the report states.
It is noted that such behavior of russian troops contributed significantly to the humanitarian catastrophe resulting from the russian attack on Ukraine.
"The ODIHR report documented cases of attacks that, at first glance, represent serious violations of international humanitarian law and could be qualified as war crimes by the russian federation. These include the attack on the Mariupol Drama Theater and the train station in Kramatorsk, as well as numerous attacks on schools and hospitals, which are a clear violation of their protected status under IHL," the report said.
The Buro also expressed concern about the "siege of Ukrainian towns and villages by the armed forces of the russian federation, which prevents the safe exit of civilians and increases the risk of indiscriminate attacks" and numerous other violations of IHL, including potential war crimes. "Likewise, ODIHR is concerned about the failure of the russian armed forces to ensure the rapid and unimpeded passage of humanitarian aid, which has contributed to the exacerbation of the humanitarian crisis in violation of IHL," the report notes.
In addition, citing witnesses, there are cases of extrajudicial executions, sexual violence, including rape, arbitrary deprivation of liberty, torture and enforced disappearances in the russian federation-occupied territories of Ukraine. "This is a violation of international humanitarian law and can be qualified as war crimes. At the same time, peaceful protests against the occupation were suppressed and organizers were prosecuted," the ODIHR said.
This OSCE institution also stated it considers the so-called "LNR" and "DNR" to be "under the overall control of the russian federation" and that russia is responsible for their behavior in accordance with international humanitarian law.
The report covers the period from the beginning of russia's full-scale invasion in February 24 to the end of June. Information was collected remotely through open-source monitoring and with the help of ODIHR observers in Ukraine who conducted interviews with witnesses. By the end of November, the office will publish the next monitoring report, building on the findings of this interim document and further expanding the collection of evidence.
