Conflict
Russia Slaughtered Ukraine Civilians - UN
At least 441 civilians were killed by Russian forces in the early days of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, the United Nations humans rights office said on Wednesday, documenting summary executions and attacks in dozens of towns across three regions.
"The acts in question were committed by Russian armed forces in control of these areas and led to the deaths of 441 civilians (341 men, 72 women, 20 boys and 8 girls)," the report said.
"The acts in question were committed by Russian armed forces in control of these areas and led to the deaths of 441 civilians (341 men, 72 women, 20 boys and 8 girls)," the report said.
Through the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), OHCHR gathered evidence from 102 towns and villages.
Overall in the war through Dec. 4, the OHCHR has counted 6,702 civilian deaths, and says its monitoring includes violations by all parties.
Willful killing of civilians is considered a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions and a war crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The scope of the new report was limited to the Russian-controlled areas during the first days of fighting because of "the prevalence of allegations of killings of civilians in these three regions" and OHCHR's ability to verify and document deaths there after Russian forces withdrew.
Moscow has repeatedly denied targeting civilians in what it calls a "special military operation" to disarm its neighbor and remove dangerous nationalists from power. Ukraine and its Western allies call the attack an unprovoked land grab.
