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In recent months, international attention surrounding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has focused on peace talks – or, more accurately, failed attempts at peace talks.
But while hopeful eyes have been on diplomacy, the grim reality on the ground has only been getting grimmer.
Russian attacks in Ukraine since January have killed and injured more civilians than in the same period last year.
That’s the key takeaway from Human Rights Watch’s new report. The research documents some recent examples of unlawful Russian attacks with civilian casualties.
On the morning of February 1, a large, high-explosive Russian missile detonated in mid-air and destroyed the corner of an apartment building in the city of Poltava. It killed 15 civilians and injured 20.
On February 4, Russian forces launched a missile on the eastern town of Izium. It hit the city council building in the central district, killing 6 civilians and injuring 57, including 3 children.
On the night of March 5, an explosive weapon slammed into the Tsentralnyi Hotel in the southeastern city of Kryvyi Rih. It damaged not just the hotel but many residential buildings in the area, killing 6 civilians and injuring 31.
On the evening of April 4, Russian forces launched another attack on Kryvyi Rih. This time, a munition burst in mid-air above a park, damaging its small playground, many buildings in its vicinity, and a restaurant.
That Russian attack killed 20 civilians, including 9 children, most of them in the playground. Seventy-three other people were injured, including a 3-month-old baby.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said it was the deadliest single attack on children since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
All these cities are far from the front lines. In no instance was there a clear military target nearby.
These attacks are all unlawful. At a minimum, they violated the international law prohibition on indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks. Russian forces either failed to distinguish between civilian and military objectives. Or they failed to avoid the disproportionate civilian casualties that could be expected from the attacks compared to any anticipated military advantage.
Such attacks, when committed deliberately or recklessly, constitute war crimes under international law.
And that’s just four examples...
Whatever happens with diplomatic negotiations in the coming weeks and months, governments need to address such attacks. The Trump administration in particular should use any leverage it has with the Kremlin to press Russia to abide by international humanitarian law.
Deal or no deal in Ukraine, the world should not be tolerating ongoing Russian atrocities.
