18/11/2022 21:11
The 8th month of the war as reviewed by EUCCI experts

Russian military in Ukraine continues to ignore international law regulations. In particular, in October, the experts of the Eastern-Ukrainian Center for Civic Initiatives registered the following offense types:

  • Deliberate killings and torture of the civilian population. During October 2022, the search and exhumation efforts continued in de-occupied towns and cities. For example, two mass burials were discovered at the Lyman city cemetery (Donetsk region). Civilians were buried in one location, and Ukrainian military personnel in another. In total, the bodies of 146 people were exhumed, including 111 civilians and 35 military personnel members.

 

  • Sexual violence. In October, the General Prosecutor's Office reported 43 open criminal cases. They included both gang rapes and the rape of minors. Most incidents involving the Russian military took place in the Kyiv region (15victims), with some occurring in other regions: Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Kherson.

 

  • In October, Russia started intensively shelling energy infrastructure facilities. According to the Office of the President, as of October 18, about 30% of Ukraine's power plants were destroyed. It caused widespread power outages across the country, which became regular (systemic).

 

  • Imposition of Russian citizenship. In October 2022, this problem took on a new form. After the so-called "nationwide votes" in the occupied territories and the inclusion of the "LPR" and "DNR," as well as parts of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, everyone living in the "newly integrated" areas by default received Russian citizenship. According to the authorities of the Russian Federation.

 

  • The threat to Ukraine's natural environment continues to grow every day. According to the Ministry of Environment estimates, the damage caused to Ukrainian ecology is worth over 37 billion euros. Here are some examples:
  1. Over 15 thousand hectares of forest were destroyed in the Donetsk region (according to preliminary data), as well as a forest seed selection center near Lyman (Donetsk region), whose pre-war capacities would allow Ukrainians to gradually restore forests not only in Donetsk region but also in Luhansk region;
  2. Eight nature reserves and ten national natural parks remain under occupation, and the habitats of many rare species of plants and animals lie in the zone of active hostilities, endangering their existence. Natural ecosystems also suffer due to fortification construction, damages induced by explosions, military transport, fires, etc. 

Read more about these and other recorded violations in the Digest:

The Eastern Ukrainian Center for Civic Initiatives documents human rights violations committed during the Russian armed aggression against Ukraine since 2014. The purpose of documentation is to present the collected materials to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, international commissions of investigation and other international organizations. The EUCCI provides free legal and other forms of assistance to certain categories of victims. For more information about the EUCCI, please visit the website of the organization: https://totalaction.org.ua/.

Human rights activists continue to record numerous incidents of similar and other violations of IHL that can be qualified as war crimes and crimes against humanity.