Published: Less than 10 min ago
Amnesty states that it has documented war crimes from the Ukrainian side during the ongoing war in the country.
Something President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismisses.
– There is no situation, not even a hypothetical one, that can justify a single one of the Russian attacks on Ukraine, he says.
Investigators from the human rights organization Amnesty International have investigated Russian attacks in the Ukrainian regions of Kharkiv, Mykolaiv and Donbass between April and June this year, it is written in a press release about its new report.
The organization claims to have documented war crimes from Russia – but also from Ukraine.
– We have documented a pattern showing that Ukrainian forces endanger civilians and violate the laws of war when operating in populated areas. The fact that the Ukrainian military is in a defensive position does not exempt it from the obligation to respect the laws of war, says Secretary General Agnès Callamard.
Used schools and hospitals
Amnesty states that it has found evidence that the Ukrainian military used, among other things, schools and hospitals for military purposes in 19 towns and villages.
“The violations in no way justify Russia’s indiscriminate attacks, which have killed and injured countless civilians,” the press release also states.
The press release also states that the actions of the Ukrainian forces turn civilian objects into military targets, and that it violates international law and threatens the safety of civilians.
Accused Amnesty
The organization’s report, which came out Thursday evening, has caused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to react.
In his nightly speech, he dismissed the criticism and instead accused Amnesty of trying to “shift the responsibility from the attacker to the victim” with the report.
– There is no situation, not even a hypothetical one, that can justify a single one of the Russian attacks on Ukraine, he said.
“Immoral sifting”
He also said that Russia destroyed hundreds of religious buildings, 900 medical institutions and thousands of schools, writes CNN.
– This is such immoral sifting. Anyone who gives Russia impunity, and who creates an information context in which certain attacks by terrorists are allegedly justified or allegedly understandable, must understand that it helps the terrorists, he also said.