The UN warned this Friday to Russia that attacks against civilians are prohibited and may amount to war crimes, while denounced an increase in the use of cluster bombs in Ukraine.
“We have received credible reports of several cases in which Russian forces have used cluster bombs, including in inhabited areas”
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has recorded 564 civilians dead and 982 wounded since the beginning of the invasion on February 24, although he pointed out that the real balance is “considerably higher”.
“We remind the Russian authorities that directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects, as well as so-called area bombing of towns and villages and other forms of indiscriminate attacks are prohibited under international law and may constitute war crimes,” said spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell.
“There are civilians dying and being maimed in what appear to be indiscriminate attacks with Russian forces using explosive weapons of wide effect in or near populated areas,” with missiles, heavy artillery, rockets or shelling, he told reporters in Geneva.
“We have also received credible reports of several cases in which Russian forces have used cluster bombs, including in inhabited areas”, he denounced.
Throssell took as an example a bombing of a hospital in Vuhledar (east) on February 24, which killed four civilians and wounded ten, as well as attacks in various districts of Kharkov that caused nine civilian deaths and 37 wounded.
“Due to their wide impact area, the use of cluster bombs in populated areas is incompatible with the principles of international humanitarian law, “he asserted.