According to Amnesty International, Russian troops killed hundreds of civilians in the Ukrainian city of Kharkov by indiscriminately firing banned cluster munitions and inaccurately fired rockets on a large scale. In its report, the human rights organization documents how the Russian military has caused death and destruction by incessant shelling of residential areas since the start of the Ukrainian invasion in late February.
Extensive investigations have found evidence that Russian troops have repeatedly used 9N210/9N235 cluster munitions and cluster mines, Amnesty said. Both types of ammunition are prohibited under international law because of their so-called indistinguishability.
Civilians killed, even in playgrounds
The head of the medical branch of the Kharkov Regional Military Administration told Amnesty International that 606 civilians have been killed and 1,248 injured in the Kharkov region since the war broke out. Most of the attacks investigated by Amnesty International have left many dead in a large radius. “People have been killed at home and on the streets, in playgrounds and in cemeteries, while queuing for relief efforts and shopping for food or medicine,” said Donatella Rovera, researcher for Amnesty’s crisis area.
“The repeated use of widely banned cluster munitions is shocking and shows absolute disregard for civilian life. The Russian troops responsible for these horrific attacks must be held accountable and those affected and their families fully compensated,” Rovera said.
Although Russia is not a party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions or the Convention on Anti-Personnel Mines, international humanitarian law prohibits both indiscriminate attacks and the use of weapons, which are arbitrary by nature. Arbitrary attacks resulting in civilian casualties or injury or damage to civilian objects should be considered war crimes, Amnesty International said.
Metal splinters in patients came from cluster munitions
According to the latest Amnesty report, Russian troops fired cluster munitions into the Myru Street area of Industrialnyi district on the afternoon of April 15. At least nine civilians were killed and more than 35 injured, including several children. Doctors from Kharkov City Hospital No. 25 showed Amnesty International metal shards that they had removed from their patients’ bodies; some of them could clearly be assigned to cluster munitions of the type 9N210/9N235.
Oksana Litvynyenko, 41, was also seriously injured by exploding cluster munitions while visiting a playground with her husband Ivan and their four-year-old daughter. Shrapnel penetrated her back, chest and stomach, puncturing her lungs and spine, Amnesty said. Amnesty International officials found pieces of metal and other objects in the playground that were clearly identified as 9N210/9N235 cluster munitions. It was initially unclear whether she would ever be able to talk or walk again, her husband reported. After being in intensive care for over a month, the 41-year-old’s condition has improved somewhat.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
