- UN’s Ukraine commission has received multiple allegations of rights abuses by Russian forces.
- But it is too early to say whether they constitute war crimes, commission chairman says.
- Commission was “not in a position” to provide a full legal characterization of events; that took place near Kyiv in March.
The UN commission collected testimonials from civilians and spoke with local officials; and civil society organisations during visits to Bucha, Irpin, Kharkiv, and Sumy.
The UN’s Ukraine panel reported receiving many complaints of Russian forces violating human rights; but said it was too early to say whether they constituted war crimes.
“The committee has received evidence of arbitrary executions of civilians in Bucha and Irpin; as well as destruction and looting of property, as well as attacks on civilian infrastructure, including schools,” said panel head Erik Mose at a press conference in Kyiv.
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The commission has seen “the destruction of huge metropolitan districts; which is considered to be the consequence of aerial bombing, shelling; or missile strikes against civilian targets” in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions, he added.
However, Mose stated that the UN was “not in a position at this time” to provide a complete legal description of the March events near Kyiv.
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