The murder of civilians, torture and execution of prisoners: the UN has released a report on the war in Ukraine

The report states that Russian military aggression and occupation of Ukrainian territories have led to serious violations of international law, human rights and humanitarian law, which will have long -term consequences for Ukraine and Ukrainians.

According to the authors of the report, shelling of the territory of Ukraine by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in December 2023 and January 2024 led to a sharp increase in the number of victims among civilians compared to the previous months. Thus, 1,804 victims among the civilians of Ukraine during the specified period were recorded in the UN, 712 of which were affected by shelling.

It has been documented that at least 429 civilians (232 men, 181 women, 10 boys and 6 girls) were killed in Russian aggression in Ukraine and 1 375 people (717 men, 576 women, 50 boys and 32 girls) were injured. Most of all, according to the organization, Kharkiv, who suffered numerous attacks by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. In addition, serious damage was caused to civilian population in districts around Kupyansk Kharkiv region, Avdiivka, Donetsk region and Kherson.

It is reported that several cities and towns along the front line were actually destroyed. "Shelling and attacks with the use of rocket launchers (RSZV) on frontline areas have caused 58 percent of victims among civilians from the total number of victims confirmed during the reporting period," the report reads. According to the UN, the vast majority of victims were affected by the use of explosives with a wide area of ​​damage in settlements.

Among the dead and wounded, a disproportionate proportion of elderly people, especially in areas near the front line, is disorderly. The UN mission also recorded damage or destruction of 106 educational institutions and 28 medical institutions. In addition, the UN interviewed 60 Ukrainian men who were recently released from Russian captivity, where they spent from a few weeks to almost two years.

"Their stories have confirmed the previously recorded facts of widespread torture, inhuman or degrading, degrading and punishing Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russian captivity, as well as the conditions of detention that do not meet the rules of international law," the authors of the report said. The report states that during the mentioned period, the UN received a report of 12 separate incidents, during which at least 32 recently captured Ukrainian prisoners of war were executed.

In total, from April 14, 2014 to February 29, 2024, 14 085 cases related to the death of civilian population were registered in the UN. Since the full -scale invasion of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the death of at least 10 675 civilians was recorded.

The UN also record pressure from the occupying power in the occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions on men in order to force them to enroll in the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces and sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

In addition, according to the organization, the invaders put pressure on the residents of the occupied territories in order to force them to obtain citizenship and passports of the Russian Federation, both directly, through threats and intimidation, and indirectly. Some of the people surveyed by the UN mission spoke about restrictions on access to public services, health care and employment for people without a Russian passport.