According to research by Amnesty International, Russian troops have killed numerous civilians in the eastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv by using cluster munitions. “In Kharkiv, people were killed in their homes and on the streets while they were taking their children to playgrounds, commemorating their loved ones in cemeteries, queuing for aid deliveries or shopping,” reported Janine Uhlmannsiek from the German branch of Amnesty International, citing one new report entitled “Anyone can die at any time”.
The human rights organization accused Russia of repeatedly using cluster munitions and unguided missiles in residential areas and playgrounds since the start of the war of aggression in Ukraine. Uhlmannsiek demanded that those responsible for these attacks should be brought to justice and that the injured and the families of the victims should be compensated. Cluster munitions are rockets or bombs that burst while still in the air over the target, releasing a large number of small explosive devices.
Conversely, according to Amnesty International, Ukrainian troops often launch attacks from residential areas, putting the lives of local civilians at risk. “This violates international humanitarian law, but in no way justifies the repeated indiscriminate attacks by Russian troops,” the human rights organization said.
More on the Ukraine war at Tagesspiegel Plus:
The head of the medical department of the Kharkiv regional military administration told Amnesty International that 606 civilians had been killed and 1,248 injured in the region since the war began. Most of the attacks investigated by Amnesty International resulted in numerous deaths in a large radius.
