Introduction
The war is the first in the history of Europe, which occurs during the time of the existence of social networks, and cell phones. Thus, from devices, it is possible to control satellites from which everything on earth can be viewed, nuclear power plants, combat drones, and other technological components of modern civilization. The Russian invasion is accompanied by many violations of the rules and methods of warfare. At the same time, Russian soldiers kill, rape, torture people and violate the rights of civilians (The BBC News, 2022). Therefore, it is essential to establish the significant military, humanitarian crimes, and violations of international law occurring in Ukraine.
The Background Information
The preconditions for the tension in relations between Russia and Ukraine and the war launched on February 24 have been compiled over a period of more than a decade (Kirby, 2022). Russian President Vladimir Putin cites arguments that reach even further back to the Middle Ages when parts of present-day Ukraine and Russia were the domain of Kyivan Rus. Thus, the thesis of the head of the Kremlin is about “one nation,” which includes the Belarusians (Kirby, 2022, para. 2). At the same time, the Russian president rarely mentions that Russians and Ukrainians have not always had the same path and that two languages and cultures were formed that were related but different (Kirby, 2022). When the two republics became separate countries after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, one more difference emerged a political one (Kirby, 2022). Kyiv chose the path of Western democracies, while Moscow wanted to re-establish a totalitarian regime.
The current conflict is a consequence of the policies of the past thirty years and the invasion of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions eight years ago. In March 2014, Russia annexed Crimea, which was a pivotal moment, the beginning of an “undeclared war” (Poiarkova, 2022, p 20). Meanwhile, the Russian and domestic paramilitary agencies gave rise to separatism in Donbass, and national republics were announced in Donetsk and Luhansk, headed by persons arriving from Russia in uniforms without identifying signs. Kiev responded slowly, waited until the presidential campaign in late May, and only then resolved to apply significant military force, which called an anti-terrorist operation (Poiarkova, 2022). The Ukrainian military began pushing separatists away from the two regions in the summer. Still, by the end of August, Russia had used its army in the Donbas on a large scale. Ukrainian troops were destroyed, which was the peak of the conflict.
The war along the full front lines culminated in the September agreement reached in Minsk on a cease-fire, which Russia quickly disrupted. Thereafter, positional warfare began, and in early 2015, the separatists initiated a significant offensive (Poiarkova, 2022). Ukrainian forces were destroyed near the hub city of Debaltsevo, which they had to leave. Meanwhile, with the assistance of Germany and France, Minsk-2 was negotiated, an agreement that continues to be the primary document for the settlement of the dispute. In 2021 the Russian Federation twice withdrew troops to the borders of Ukraine, and in December, President Putin for the first time, voiced his demand to the U.S. and NATO as an appeal (Poiarkova, 2022). It concerned not accepting Ukraine and other post-Soviet countries into the North Atlantic Alliance and not providing them with military assistance; the Alliance responded by refusing.
On February 21, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. The country’s parliament ratified the relevant documents; Putin announced that the territories of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine belong to these entities (Poiarkova, 2022). This is much more than the region controlled by the separatists. On the morning of February 24, the head of the Russian state proclaimed the beginning of a “special military operation” against Ukraine; he described its purpose as the “demilitarization” of the country (Poiarkova, 2022, p. 20). The Russian Armed Forces began to attack Ukrainian cities and military infrastructure throughout the state.
The Violation of Human Rights
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is characterized by indiscriminate shelling and destruction of residential and critical infrastructure, resulting in numerous technological disasters. Rocket attacks led to fires at oil depots in Vasylkiv, Akhtyrka, Chernihiv, and Lutsk, and the bombing of a gas pipeline in Kharkiv. Russian troops have attempted to seize the Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plants and other critical energy infrastructure (World Organisation Against Torture, 2022). At the same time, they have bombarded and destroyed military and critical infrastructure and environmentally hazardous enterprises. On which chemicals and industrial waste are deposited, causing cross-border threats to environmental safety. Such deliberate gross violations of the laws and customs of war constitute war crimes, which are crimes under international law. They are prosecuted by the International Criminal Court, based in The Hague World Organisation Against Torture, 2022). Russia’s attack on Ukraine is a direct violation of the Charter of the United Nations and an act of aggression that is an offense under international law.
An Amnesty International team, headed by the organization’s secretary-general, recently visited the region to interact with survivors and families of the victims. The delegation also met with high-ranking Ukrainian officials and bureaucrats. Amnesty International demands that all those responsible for war crimes in Borodyanka, Bucha, and other Ukrainian cities be prosecuted. The Russian military is responsible for criminal air raids on Borodyanka and extrajudicial performances in many Ukrainian towns and villages, particularly Bucha, Andreevka, Zdvizhevka, and Vorzel, including humanitarian routes, and engaging different other war offenses (Amnesty International, n.d.). The secretary-general made this statement of the international human rights organization Amnesty International. In April, Amnesty International professionals spent about two weeks in the northwest Kyiv region (Amnesty International, n.d.). They collected proof of Russian involvement in war offenses executed from late February to early March 2022 during the Russian armies’ offensive on Kyiv. It is significant to mention that the Russian army commits such crimes across Ukraine, especially in Kherson and Mariupol (Amnesty International, n.d.). At the moment, Kherson and Mariupol are occupied by Russian troops, which is why international bodies cannot assess the level of bestiality.
When visiting one of the areas of Bucha, where civilians were presumably murdered, AI experts discovered two armor-piercing 9×39 mm cartridges with black tips. According to the weapons specialists of the organization, this is the type of ammunition used in the special assault rifles of specific luxury Russian army units (Amnesty International, n.d.). When the experts of AI observed the adjacent towns and villages, they reported that some of the departed had their hands tied behind their backs, and there were other indications of suffering (Amnesty International, n.d.). They also recorded the testimony of an eyewitness who described the firing of a convoy of vehicles trying to remove civilians. Amnesty International appeals for the trial of all war criminals in Ukraine from all parts of the armed conflict.
It is interesting to consider the actions and reactions of the United Nations Organization. The United Nations argues that Russia’s actions in Ukraine, including the shooting of civilians, can be considered war crimes. The Russian armed forces have indiscriminately shelled and bombed populated areas, killing civilians and destroying hospitals, schools, and other civilian infrastructure. Accordingly, such actions may amount to war crimes, stated Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights Office, n.d.). She explained that a UNHCR mission documented that 50 civilians were killed there, including by shooting, in the town of Bucha near Kyiv. As of April 20, the UN confirmed the deaths of 2,345 and the wounding of 2,919 civilians due to Russia’s war on Ukraine (UN Human Rights Office, n.d.). However, the real numbers are significantly higher, and the casualty data are not definitive because of the intensity of fighting across the country.
Crucially, the UN Human Rights Council voted to initiate an investigation into alleged human rights violations and profound breaches of international humanitarian law by Russian forces in the liberated territories of Ukraine. The Council voted to strengthen monitoring of the deteriorating human rights situation in Ukraine due to Russian aggression, especially considering the events in Mariupol and several other cities (UN Human Rights Office, n.d.). Significantly, representatives of the Ukrainian authorities also report the scale of human rights violations and crimes committed by the Russian Federation. In Ukraine, 40 hospitals were destroyed during the full-scale Russian invasion and cannot be rebuilt (Kirby, 2022). It is crucial to emphasize the international organization’s most recent actions in May.
The First Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Emine Japarova, attended the 34th special session of the UN Human Rights Council on the aggravation human rights situation in Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression (UN Human Rights Office, n.d.). The First Deputy Minister drew international attention to the horrific human rights violations in parts of Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions under Russian occupation in late February and March of this year (UN Human Rights Office, n.d.). She mentioned the consequences of the Russian army’s continuous shelling of Ukrainian territory using aerial bombs, heavy artillery, and rockets. She emphasized the complicated situation in Mariupol and stated that the ash-turned city of Mariupol, like dozens of other cities leveled to the ground, had become impossible to live in (UN Human Rights Office, n.d.). Thus, there are reports of destroying entire Ukrainian towns and people’s major life support facilities.
The Refugees
The Russian aggression on Ukraine has resulted in an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. The flood of refugees from Ukraine into Europe is the most significant migration wave since World War II. According to the UN, more than 6 million Ukrainians, mostly females, and children, were forced to flee Putin’s bombs and shells to European countries after the fighting began (The BBC News, 2022). In response to the situation, the EU activated, for the first time, the Temporary Protection Directive, which grants Ukrainian refugees the right to enter EU territory. In addition, they have the right to reside and receive essential social services, including medical care, education, and employment. This directive is valid for one year, with the possibility of extension until 3 years (The BBC News, 2022). At the same time, this document may be suspended early if the situation in Ukraine allows for the safe return of Ukrainian refugees to their homes.
Individuals fleeing the war spend several days at the border with neighboring states to preserve their lives. They often drive to the neighboring countries of Poland, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, and Slovakia (The BBC News, 2022). However, other countries worldwide are ready to receive temporarily displaced persons from Ukraine. Since Ukraine has declared mobilization, men aged 18-60 cannot leave the country (The BBC News, 2022). At the same time, the UN recorded a trend of the return of refugees to Ukraine, 870,000 people have already arrived. The organization stressed that the mass resettlement of refugees complicates humanitarian problems inside Ukraine (The BBC News, 2022). It should be stated that even for those who have fled abroad to escape war, there are certain dangers. The UN warns that refugee and resettled children are at risk of trafficking and exploitation. International agencies, together with representatives of host governments, are expanding Blue Dot centers in refugee host countries. Blue Dots are places that provide information to traveling families and support identifying unaccompanied and separated children (The BBC News, 2022). They work to protect refugees from potential exploitation and are a hub for access to essential services.
However, it is significant that the people who left their homes after their return to Ukraine will need new housing. This is because it has been destroyed due to military action or robbery. There are facts that the Russian military stole household appliances, cell phones, jewelry, and other offerings from abandoned houses (The BBC News, 2022). After which, they would send them home as presents to their relatives. Consequently, refugees who return to Ukraine already face such a problem.
The Political Assassinations
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, there have been numerous cases of enforced disappearances of community activists, volunteers, journalists, and local authorities. According to the UN, civilians are selectively detained in regions of Ukraine controlled by the Russian military, after which some disappear. Families of those arrested are usually denied information about the fate of their relatives. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights described that the victims of such actions by the Russians are primarily local community leaders, journalists, and anyone who expresses their pro-Ukrainian stance (Mackinnon et al., 2022). The UN cannot yet confirm whether the choice of detention victims is coincidental or if all of them are from a special list of the Russian special services.
It is important to determine that Western intelligence is actively working to prevent such cases. In February, U.S. officials informed the United Nations that Russian authorities had compiled a “black list” of Ukrainians to be killed or arrested after the Russian army invasion. For instance, several regional and city officials have been detained in occupied parts of Ukraine (Mackinnon et al., 2022). In particular, the mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, was kidnapped by the Russian military right from the temporary office of the mayor’s office in the middle of a workday. With a bag over his head, he was transported to a building controlled by the Russians and later exchanged for nine Russian military conscripts. After his release, he testified in an interview with the local press that other detainees who had been held in the same building where he had been held appeared to have been tortured (Mackinnon et al., 2022). Abductions are also reported in other cities, particularly in Nova Kakhovka, in northern Ukraine, where the head of the city council, Dmytro Vasiliev, was arrested. Thus, Russian troops kidnap political leaders, torture them, and even murder them.
Export of Ukrainian Property
The Russian side grossly violates international norms and UNESCO conventions in preserving objects of cultural heritage and art collections. In addition to the destruction, there is an acute threat of misappropriation and export of movable cultural property from the museum collections of Ukraine to the territory of the Russian Federation. The future of the collection of the destroyed Ivankiv History and Local History Museum, where a collection of works by Maria Priymachenko, and the collection of the Arkhip Kuindzhi Art Museum in Mariupol are still unidentified. The active hostilities threaten other cultural treasures of museum collections, in particular in Odessa and Kharkiv (Gettleman & Chubko, 2022). It is essential to emphasize that the Ukrainian government monitors the departure of the artifacts and is appealing to the global association for help.
At the same time, the Russian military is stealing food supplies. Ukrainian grain hijacked by Russian troops is on dry cargo ships in the Mediterranean Sea. According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, it is most probably being prepared for shipment to Syria. The stolen grain can be smuggled to other countries in the Middle East, thus organizing a black market (Hrudka & Maryn, 2022). Russian troops are preparing to transport grain and sunflower seeds from the Zaporizhzhia region to Russian territory. Grains are transported toward the Russian border from the Kharkiv region, and another 1,500 tons of grain were removed from the Kherson region to Crimea (Hrudka & Maryn, 2022). Ukrainian media have frequently stated that Russia is stealing farm machinery and thousands of tons of grain from Ukrainian agricultural workers in the captured territories (Hrudka & Maryn, 2022). Consequently, the Russian Federation not only expropriates cultural monuments from Ukraine but also steals grain to organize a black market.
Cyberattacks
It is important to distinguish that Russia uses a cyber front to conduct warfare. In recent months, Russian-linked hacker groups have conducted 237 cyberattacks against Ukrainian businesses and government institutions (Burt, 2022). The attempts were often aimed at destroying computer systems, but some were also aimed at gathering intelligence or spreading disinformation. EU High Representative Josep Borrell believes that cyberattacks targeting Ukraine, particularly critical infrastructure, could spread to other countries and cause systemic consequences that threaten the security of European citizens. For the first time in its history, the Russian Federation has transformed itself from aggressor to victim in cyberspace (Burt, 2022). The occupants faced cyberattacks of unprecedented power and scale because of the war that began against Ukraine. Anonymous, an international network of activists and hacktivists, took responsibility for them and contributed to suppressing Russia’s aggression.
Conclusion
Thus, a considerable number of violations of international humanitarian law and human rights committed by Russian troops can be classified as war crimes. Almost all civilized nations have condemned violations of international law and human rights in the territory. The Ukrainian authorities and military are struggling to regain control within the legitimate boundaries of the state’s territory. At the same time, the international community monitors human rights violations and prepares to bring the perpetrators to justice.
References
Amnesty International. (n.d.). Ukraine.
Burt, T. (2022l). Disrupting cyberattacks targeting Ukraine. Microsoft.
Gettleman, J., & Chubko, O. (2022). Ukraine says Russia looted ancient gold artifacts from a museum. The New York Times.
Hrudka, O., & Maryn, S. (2022). Threatening Kherson farmers, Russian troops steal grain from Ukraine. Euromaidan Press.
Kirby, P. (2022). Why has Russia invaded Ukraine and what does Putin want? The BBC News.
Mackinnon, A., Gramer, R., & Detsch, J. (2022). Russia planning post-invasion arrest and assassination campaign in Ukraine, U.S. Officials Say. Foreign Policy.
Poiarkova, T. (2022). “Others” in the Ukrainian Society as a Result of the Modern Russian-Ukrainian War.European Journal of Sustainable Development, 11(1), 20.
The BBC News. (2022). How many Ukrainians have fled their homes and where have they gone?
UN Human Rights Office (n.d.). Ukraine.
World Organisation Against Torture. (2022). Ukraine: Grave human rights violations in territories under recent Russian control.