The United Nations fact-finding mission in Ukraine, after its June visit, concluded that Russia committed war crimes during the invasion. The assessment was delivered in a speech this Friday by Erik Mose, the chair of the tripartite commission, before the United Nations Human Rights Council.
“We were shocked by the large number of executions in the regions we visited,” said the Norwegian expert. He noted that the mission had investigated killings in 16 towns in Ukraine, yet had received reliable reports of similar crimes in many other places.
Mose pointed out that many of these murders targeted people who had already been detained. Numerous victims appeared to have hands bound behind their backs, with head injuries and throat cuts, indicating mass executions.
The head of the commission also condemned reports of sexual and gender-based violence against Russian Federation soldiers. Victims ranged from four to eighty-two years old, and in some cases they were forced to witness the mistreatment or torture of relatives.
The mission, also comprising Colombian Pablo de Greiff and Bosnian Jasminka Dzumhur, documented instances where children were raped, tortured, and unlawfully detained, with some cases resulting in death.
Witnesses interviewed by the mission described beatings, electric shocks, and forced nudity during illegal detentions, including cases where individuals were transported from Ukraine to Russian territory.
The Norwegian expert condemned the repeated use of explosive devices in non-military areas. These attacks affected residential zones, schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure, killing nearly 6,000 civilians in seven months of conflict, according to the United Nations Office for Human Rights.
“Some of the attacks we examined targeted civilians as well as combatants,” Mose noted, referring to evidence that may point to possible war crimes.
The mission’s findings were released for the first time since its establishment by the Human Rights Council last March. They cover actions in areas near Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, and Sumy, particularly in February and March.
“The discovery of additional mass graves underscores the seriousness of the situation,” stated the head of the commission. He reported that Ukrainian authorities are cooperating with the investigations, while Russia has not engaged with the mission’s team.
Mose explained that the mission has documented two cases of mistreatment of Russian soldiers by Ukrainian forces. “Even if they are few, they will continue to attract our attention.”