88% of the total number of victims are men and boys, which shows that they were prioritized targets because of their gender, underlined the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk
Hundreds of civilians have been summarily executed in Ukraine in the first months of Russian forces’ invasion of the country, and the executions constitute “possible war crimes”, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.
UN investigative mission recorded 441 executions and killings in three regions of Ukraine from the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24 until April 6, Volker Turk pointed out.
The murders 341 men, 72 women, 20 boys and 8 girls have been documented in 102 towns and villages of Kyiv, Chernihiv and Sumy regions during this period, according to him.
“The true numbers are higher than they seem and we are working to confirm 198 more kills in these regions. We have strong evidence that these documented summary executions may constitute war crimes. In some cases, Russian soldiers executed civilians in makeshift detention facilities,” he stressed.
“Others were killed on the spot after a security check, at the entrance or inside their homes or in their yards, even when the victims had their hands up and posed no threat,” the High Commissioner continued.
Men and boys make up the 88% of all victims, “indicating that they were prioritized targets because of their gender».
In addition, Russian armored vehicles opened fire on buildings, killing civilians inside their homes.
The High Commissioner continues to document violations of the rights of civilians in the conflict zone beyond the period covered by this report, the High Commissioner clarified.
UN investigators had accused Moscow on September 23 of committing a “significant number” of war crimes in four Ukrainian regions in the first weeks after the Russian invasion.
However, they had decided that it was too early to talk about crimes against humanity, contrary to what non-governmental organizations and Ukraine claim.
RES-EMP
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