After the invasion of February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation continues to use methods and means of war that are prohibited by international humanitarian law. Infrastructure objects (bridges, heating mains), residential buildings, and civilians, including children, women and the elderly, are affected.
On March 5, 2022, Prosecutor Benjamin Ferenc, who was involved in the Nuremberg Trials, confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin could be held accountable for aggression (use of force against the territorial integrity of the state) and war crimes (including indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian objects) committed by the Russian military in Ukraine. The actions of the military inflict killings and suffering on the civilian population, there is evidence of the use of prohibited weapons (including cluster bombs). It will be recalled that a group of investigators from the International Criminal Court left for Ukraine on March 4, 2022 to investigate Russia’s war crimes.
38 children were killed and 71 children were injured as of 12 o’clock on March 6, 2022 since the beginning of the offensive of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. In accordance with the provisions of Art. 14 of the Convention for the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949 “Parties to the conflict may establish in their territory and, if necessary, in the occupied territories sanitary and safe zones and areas organized in such a way as to protect against the effects of war the wounded, the sick and the elderly, children under the age of fifteen, pregnant women and mothers with children under the age of seven.» According to customary international humanitarian law (Rule 135), «children affected by armed conflict have the right to special respect and protection«.
On March 6, 2022, rockets were fired at the Vinnytsia airport and the military unit in Havryshivka. Vinnytsia airport was completely destroyed, 8 air strikes were inflicted.
The situation in Kyiv region (Borodyanka, Vorzel, Gostomel, Bucha) remains difficult. Settlements on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. The Russian occupiers do not provide allow assistance by volunteers or the International Committee of the Red Cross. Fighting continues on the outskirts of Kyiv towards the Zhytomyr highway. In Ovruch, 30 private houses were destroyed by a rocket attack. Such actions grossly violate the provisions of Art. 57 of the Additional Protocol of 1977 to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, according to which the conduct of military operations must be constantly concerned to protect the civilian population, civilians and civilian objects. The parties to the conflict must clearly distinguish between civilian and military objects. Intentional attacks on civilian objects are classified as war crimes.
During the evacuation of civilians along the «green corridor» from Irpin, 120-caliber mortar fire was opened, killing at least three people. The situation in the south-east part of Ukraine (in Mariupol) remains critical. The second attempt of a «green corridor» to evacuate civilians failed again due to Russian shelling. For the fifth day there is no connection, no light, and people are running out of food. Art. 17 of the Convention for the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 1949 stipulates the obligation to conclude local agreements on the evacuation from the besieged or besieged areas of the wounded, sick, disabled, elderly, children and women in labor and the admission of worshipers of all faiths, medical personnel and sanitary property on their way to such areas.
On March 5, in Melitopol, the Russian military fired on an ambulance delivering drugs from Zaporizhia (hemodialysis supplies, emergency medications). 34 hospitals have closed, some buildings have been completely destroyed, some have no electricity or water supply. According to Art. 12 of Additional Protocol (I) to the Geneva Conventions of 8 June 1977: «Medical establishments shall at all times be respected, protected and may not be the object of attack», Art. 35: «Transport with the wounded and sick or medical equipment is protected and protected in the same way as mobile medical units.» Violation of these prohibitions by attacks on medical personnel and ambulances will be interpreted as a serious violation of the Geneva Conventions and a war crime under international criminal law.
Mass shelling of the city of Kharkiv with the use of indiscriminate weapons continues. The buildings of Kharkiv National University named after V. Karazin and school №134 are destroyed. In Chernihiv, shelling of residential neighborhoods continues, Russia is dropping FAB-500 (500 kg of general-purpose aircraft bombs with high-explosive warheads).
Currently, there is a threat of seizure of the South Ukrainian nuclear power plant in the Mykolaiv region. There is also a possibility of seizing the Kaniv hydroelectric power plant. Such actions can cause man-made disasters on a global scale.