Russia systematically commits war crimes against civilians in Ukraine – UN

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said this in a report, seen by Ukrinform, which was presented to the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly on Monday, October 27.

According to the document, the Commission found that "Russian authorities have systematically coordinated actions in order to drive out Ukrainian civilians from their place of residence."

"First, the evidence collected demonstrates that recurrent attacks with short-range drones by Russian armed forces against civilians in frontline areas have killed and injured many, caused large-scale destruction, and created a coercive environment compelling thousands to flee. The Commission has concluded that these acts amount to the crimes against humanity of murder and of forcible transfer of population. Second, the Commission has also found that deportations and transfers of civilians from areas occupied by Russian authorities constitute war crimes," the report reads.

The report notes that for over one year, Russian armed forces have been directing drone attacks against an extensive range of civilian targets, in an area spanning over 300 kilometers along the right bank of the Dnipro River, across the Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions.

"The attacks targeted civilian persons, houses or buildings, humanitarian distribution points, and critical energy infrastructure servicing civilians. They even hit first responders – including ambulances and fire brigades, regardless of their special protection under international humanitarian law, obstructing their intervention. Many of the attacks struck the same objects repeatedly, deliberately setting them on fire," the report states.

The cases documented demonstrate that military units of Russian armed forces deployed over a large geographic area and operating from the left bank of the Dnipro River, under a centralized command, "have used the same modus operandi to intentionally target civilians and civilian objects and cause harm and destruction."

"The Commission has concluded that Russian armed forces’ short-range drone attacks, in a wider geographic area than previously established, amount to the crime against humanity of murder and the war crimes of intentionally directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects. The Commission has further concluded that these attacks were committed as part of a coordinated policy to drive out civilians from those territories and amount to the crime against humanity of forcible transfer of population," the report reads.

The Commission has documented that Russian authorities have coordinated actions to deport or transfer civilians from areas that came under their control in the Zaporizhzhia region. This amounts to war crimes.

In 2022 and 2023, Russian authorities transferred civilians to territories under Ukrainian Government control, after accusing them of carrying out "activities against the Russian Federation."

"They brought the victims to a checkpoint then positioned at the end of the area they controlled. There, they forced them to walk through a 10 to 15 km-wide highly dangerous operational area to reach the Ukrainian checkpoint," the report said.

Furthermore, in 2024 and 2025, Russian authorities deported Ukrainian civilians from occupied areas in the Zaporizhzhia region to Georgia, referring to Russian Federation legislation on the legal status of certain categories of foreign citizens. Perpetrators transported them to the border between the Russian Federation and Georgia and ordered them to cross.

"With respect to both deportations and transfers, perpetrators usually detained the victims, subjected some of them to torture, and confiscated their documents and belongings. These acts have inflicted severe mental pain and suffering and amount to inhuman treatment as a war crime and a violation of human rights. The circumstances of the documented cases demonstrate a profound disregard for human life and dignity. Many of the victims have endured physical trauma and all reported psychological shock," the document notes.

The Commission also examined allegations by Russian authorities of drone attacks by Ukrainian armed forces against civilian targets in Russian occupied areas. It was unable to conclude its investigation due to lack of access to the territory, concerns relating to the safety of witnesses, and in the absence of response to its questions to the Russian authorities.

The UN Commission called on Russia to immediately cease drone attacks and other actions terrorizing Ukraine's civilian population and causing their forced displacement, to end deportations and unlawful transfers of civilians from occupied territories, and to comply with international humanitarian law protecting the rights and dignity of persons under occupation.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2022 to investigate human rights violations and abuses, breaches of international humanitarian law, and related crimes committed in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

The Commission consists of Erik Mose (Chair), Pablo de Greiff, and Vrinda Grover.

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