UN human rights officers document unlawful killing of some 50 civilians in Bucha, which amounts to war crimes

During an April 9 visit to Bucha, UN human rights experts recorded the unlawful killing, including extrajudicial executions, of about 50 civilians, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has said.

"Almost every resident in Bucha our colleagues spoke to told us about the death of a relative, a neighbour or even a stranger. We know much more needs to be done to uncover what happened there and we also know Bucha is not an isolated incident," the press service of the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) said on Friday, citing Bachelet.

The High Commissioner said that in those eight weeks, international humanitarian law had not only been ignored, but seemed to have been completely rejected.

According to the HRMMU report, Russian armed forces have indiscriminately shelled and bombed populated areas, killing civilians and wrecking hospitals, schools and other civilian infrastructure, actions that may amount to war crimes, the organization said.

"What we saw in Government-controlled Kramatorsk on April 8 when cluster sub-munitions hit the railway station, killing 60 civilians and injuring 111 others, is emblematic of the failure to adhere to the principle of distinction, the prohibition of indiscriminate attacks and the principle of precaution enshrined in international humanitarian law," Bachelet said.

HRMMU also documented the likely use of indiscriminate weapons by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the east of the country, resulting in the death or injury of civilians and damage to civilian objects.

The organization said that since February 24 to midnight on April 20, HRMMU has documented and verified 5,264 civilian casualties in Ukraine: 2,345 killed and 2,919 injured. Of these, 92.3% (2,266 killed and 2,593 injured) were recorded in government-controlled territory. Some 7.7% (79 killed and 326 injured) were recorded in Donetsk and Luhansk regions controlled by the Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups.

HRMMU has received over 300 allegations of killings of civilians in towns in the regions of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Sumy, all under the control of Russian armed forces in late February and early March.

The organization said that wilful killing of protected persons, including summary executions, are gross violations of international human rights law and serious violations of international humanitarian law, and amount to war crimes.

HRMMU is also documenting the devastating consequences of the conflict on a range of other human rights, including the right to health. To date, it has recorded 114 attacks on medical establishments, although the actual figure is likely to be considerably higher. The disruption of medical care has also seen the general mortality rate among civilians increase in a number of besieged towns and cities.

"We estimate that at least 3,000 civilians have died because they couldn’t get medical care and because of the stress on their health amid the hostilities. This includes being forced by Russian armed forces to stay in basements or not being allowed to leave their homes for days or weeks," Bachelet said.

Allegations of sexual violence against women, men, girls and boys by members of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine have increasingly surfaced. HRMMU has received 75 allegations from across the country, although the majority are from the Kyiv region. HRMMU is looking into each allegation, although this remains challenging as survivors may not be willing or able to be interviewed.

Detention of civilians has become a widespread practice in areas controlled by the Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups. Since 24 February, HRMMU has recorded 155 such cases, including of local officials, journalists, activists, human rights defenders, and others. Some were reportedly tortured or ill-treated, left without food or water, or held in overcrowded improvised facilities. Five victims of enforced disappearances were subsequently found dead.

HRMMU has also received information about alleged arbitrary and incommunicado detentions by Ukrainian forces or people aligned with them. In some cases, relatives do not have information about where their loved ones are, raising serious concerns regarding enforced disappearance, compliance with due process and the risk of torture and ill-treatment.