Independent Commission on human rights presents evidence to UN of systematic targeted killings of civilians by Russian military forces
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine (IICIU) presented a report to the UN General Assembly, which provides evidence of targeted attacks by Russian forces against civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Authors of the report note that “the attacks – which have struck a wide range of civilian targets in an area spanning over 300 kilometres along the right bank of the Dnipro River, across Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions – are systematically coordinated actions designed to drive Ukrainians out of their homes.”
“They [the attacks] have targeted individuals, houses and buildings, humanitarian distribution points and critical energy infrastructure servicing civilians. They also targeted first responders – including ambulances and fire brigades, which are afforded special protection under international humanitarian law. Many of the attacks struck the same vehicles and infrastructure repeatedly, deliberately setting them on fire, spreading terror among the civilian population and violating their fundamental human rights,” this is stated in the IICIU report, released on Monday.
The investigators’ report documents that “Russian authorities coordinated actions to deport or transfer groups of people from areas under occupation. Some were transferred to areas under Ukrainian Government control; others were sent to neighbouring Georgia.”
Detention, torture and confiscation of documents and belongings are also laid out in the report – acts which have “inflicted severe mental pain and suffering and amount to inhuman treatment as a war crime and a violation of human rights.”
On Monday, the Commission of Inquiry presented the report to the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, which deals with social, humanitarian and cultural issues.
The findings are based on some 500 publicly available videos of crimes examined – 247 of which have had their locations technically verified – and 226 interviews with Ukrainian citizens.
The Commission also examined Russian allegations of drone attacks by Ukrainian armed forces against civilian targets in Russian occupied areas. It was unable to draw any conclusions “due to lack of access to the territory, concerns relating to the safety of witnesses, and the lack of responses from Russian authorities.”
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine was established by the United Nations Human Rights Council on March 4, 2022, through resolution 49/1. Its primary purpose is to investigate all alleged violations and abuses of human rights, as well as violations of international humanitarian law, in the context of the ongoing conflict initiated by the Russian Federation's aggression against Ukraine. The commission's mandate has been extended multiple times, most recently in April 2025, to continue its work and provide updates to the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly.