Russia's war crimes
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities and armed forces were accused of
committing war crimes by carrying out both deliberate attacks against civilian targets and
indiscriminate attacks in densely populated areas. The Russian military allegedly exposed the
civilian population to unnecessary and disproportionate harm by using cluster munitions – a type of
weapon that is prohibited by 110 states because of its immediate and long-term danger to
civilians – and by firing other explosive weapons with wide-area effects such as air-dropped
bombs, missiles, heavy artillery shells and multiple launch rockets.
marginThe result of the Russian
forces' attacks was damage or destruction of civilian buildings including houses, hospitals, schools,
kindergartens, nuclear power plants, historic buildings, and churches. According to
international law experts, evidence points to Russia deliberately targeting Ukrainian hospitals across
the country.
As of 28 April, the attacks had resulted in the death of at least 2,829 civilians and the wounding of at least 3,180.
After Russian withdrawal from areas north of Kyiv, according to The Guardian, there was a "mounting body of evidence" of rape, torture and summary killings by Russian forces of Ukrainian civilians. There were allegations of forced deportations of thousands of civilians from Russian-occupied Mariupol to Russia, including children, systematic and massive sexual violence and deliberate killing of Ukrainian civilians by members of the Russian forces.