UN Report Accuses Russian Army of Crimes in Ukraine

In Odesa, a large-scale drone attack on 21 March 2025 injured children and damaged shops, warehouses and vehicles.

Drones operated by Russian forces have repeatedly attacked Ukrainian civilians, causing deaths, injuries, and widespread destruction, independent UN human rights investigators said on Monday.

According to the Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, the Russian military’s actions amount to two crimes against humanity — “murder and forcible transfer of population,” and “deportations and transfers of civilians” from areas occupied by Russian forces, some of whom were tortured.

Systematic and Coordinated Attacks

The attacks, which have struck a wide range of civilian targets over a 300-kilometre area along the right bank of the Dnipro River — across Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv oblasts — are described as systematic and coordinated efforts to drive Ukrainians from their homes, according to the report.

Targets included individuals, homes and buildings, humanitarian distribution points, and critical civilian energy infrastructure. First responders, including ambulances and fire brigades — who are granted special protection under international humanitarian law — were also attacked.

Many strikes repeatedly hit the same vehicles and facilities, deliberately setting them alight, spreading terror among civilians, and violating their fundamental human rights.

The report, produced by the UN Human Rights Council-appointed investigation team established in March 2022, includes testimony from residents who have endured constant bombardment, describing their living conditions as “unbearable.”

‘Severe Mental Pain and Suffering’

“We are hit every day; drones fly at any time — morning, evening, day or night — constantly,” said one resident interviewed for the report.

The investigators documented that Russian authorities coordinated the deportation or transfer of groups of civilians from occupied areas. Some were sent to regions under Ukrainian Government control, while others were transferred to neighbouring Georgia.

The report also details cases of detention, torture, and confiscation of documents and belongings, acts which have “inflicted severe mental pain and suffering and amount to inhuman treatment, constituting a war crime and a violation of human rights.”

On Monday, the Commission of Inquiry presented its findings to the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, which deals with social, humanitarian, and cultural issues.

The conclusions are based on analysis of around 500 publicly available videos of alleged crimes — 247 of which were geolocated and verified — and 226 interviews with Ukrainian citizens.

The Commission also reviewed Russian allegations of Ukrainian drone attacks on civilian targets in Russian-occupied areas but said it was unable to draw conclusions due to lack of access, concerns over witness safety, and non-cooperation from Russian authorities.