In a report published on Monday, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights labelled Russia’s drone strikes against Ukraine as war crimes. The report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022, suggests that Russia deliberately coordinated the attacks in order to spread terrorism.
Civilians Targeted on the Dnieper Line
The report alleges that drone strikes targeted Ukrainian civilians in a 200-mile-wide area along the Dnieper River, which bisects Ukraine. The investigation team presented 500 publicly available videos and 226 interviews with Ukrainian citizens as evidence.
The important findings of the report are as follows:
Attacks on Civilians: “Russian armed forces carried out short-range drone strikes on the right bank of the river under the control of the Government of Ukraine. It killed and injured civilians, causing damage and destruction, with total disregard for the civilian population.”
Strikes on Civilian Infrastructure: “In addition to attacking individuals, Russian armed forces mercilessly struck a wide range of civilian targets with drones, including civilian homes, buildings, gathering points, humanitarian aid distribution points and critical infrastructure facilities serving civilians.”
Allegations of Forced Deportation: The report also alleged that Ukrainian civilians were forcibly expelled from their homes. The report directly blames “Russian armed forces” or “Russian authorities” rather than specific perpetrators.
UAV Types and Ammunition Used
It is stated that Russia used various short-range and low-cost UAVs in the attacks. These include the Russian-made VT-40 quadcopter drone and Chinese-made quadcopter drones.
These drones are usually armed with various types of explosives, such as grenades, mortar rounds, RPG-7 shells, butterfly mines, reproduced anti-tank mines and improvised flammable or explosive devices.
Ukraine Allegations Failed to Investigate
Russia denied that it deliberately targeted civilians, while the UN commission stated that it was unable to examine Russian claims about Ukrainian drone strikes against civilians.
“The Commission also examined Russian allegations that the Ukrainian armed forces carried out drone strikes against civilian targets in Russian-occupied territories,” the Commission said in a statement. However, it was reported that no conclusion could be reached due to lack of access to the region, concerns about the safety of witnesses and the lack of response from Russian authorities.
