The number of new violations committed by the Russian military in Ukraine is growing rapidly. During the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, the Russian military committed more than 17 types of violations of international humanitarian law.
According to human rights activists, at least seven new examples of war crimes have been identified in the last two weeks. This is reported in the updated digest of violations of international humanitarian law, prepared by
the NGO “Eastern-Ukrainian Center for Civic Initiatives”.
Clear and brutal violations of international humanitarian law identified in the past two weeks include:
Intentional homicides, torture and inhuman treatment
In settlements in the regions of Zhytomyr, Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy, which were liberated from Russian occupation forces, dead civilians were found with their hands tied behind their backs and gunshot wounds to the back of the head from small arms. This means that these civilians were not killed en masse by shelling. It is rather a clear evidence that they were executed.
Increased threats to the environment, significant air pollution and damages to ecosystems, water resources etc.
The concentration of pollutants in the air of Kyiv was almost 9 times higher than the norm. This was caused, in particular, by large-scale fires in the Kyiv region, changes in the wind direction and strength, and by fires neighboring regions caused by military hostilities.
Desecration of dead bodies and cremation
Evidence of abuse of the body, as well as reports of the deployment of mobile crematoria by the Russian military in Mariupol, began gradually to emerge.
Use of anti-personnel mines
On March 30, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine issued a report that the Russian military had deployed anti-personnel shrapnel mines with a seismic sensor (produced exclusively in Russia) on Ukrainian territories. Such mines are prohibited by the 1997 Ottawa Convention. However, Russia is not a party to this international treaty.
Human rights defenders continue to record numerous incidents of such and other violations of IHL, which can be qualified as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
