Amnesty International on Monday accused Russia of war crimes in Ukraine and said hundreds of victims had died in relentless attacks in Kharkov, many with cluster munitions.
After an investigation, the human rights NGO claims to have found evidence that in seven attacks on neighborhoods in the second city in northeastern Ukraine, Russian forces used cluster munitions of the type N210 and 9N235 and two categories of cluster bombs prohibited by mines. International agreements.
The report, titled “Anyone Can Die Anytime”, shows how Russian forces have bombed residential areas in Kharkov, killing and inflicting great damage since the start of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
“People have died in their homes, streets, parks and cemeteries as they lined up to receive humanitarian aid or to get food or medicine,” says Donatella Rovera, crisis and conflict researcher at Amnesty headquarters.
“The repeated bans on weapons (…) are shocking and show a real disrespect for civilian lives,” he adds.
Although Russia has not signed the convention on cluster munitions or anti-personnel mines, international humanitarian law prohibits indiscriminate attacks and the use of weapons that constitute war crimes, the report said.
According to the prosecutor’s office, Ukrainian justice has opened more than 12,000 war crimes investigations since the beginning of the Russian occupation.
Amnesty International is investigating 41 bombing attacks that left at least 62 dead and 196 injured in total. In April and May, 160 people were interviewed in Kharkiv, including survivors of the attack, relatives of the victims and witnesses.
source: Noticias
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