The Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomes the publication of the 40th periodic report of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The report focuses on the treatment of prisoners of war (POW) and the negative impact of Russia's ongoing armed aggression against Ukraine, alongside documented serious human rights violations.
According to the report, the testimonies of released Ukrainian POW, provided during interviews with the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU), once again confirm the widespread use of torture by the Russian authorities in places of detention. This includes systematic beatings, sexual violence, the use of electric shock devices, and other forms of cruel treatment.
Public international condemnation is warranted for statements made by high-ranking Russian politicians calling for inhumane treatment of Ukrainian POW and the use of extrajudicial executions.
Torture and ill-treatment in the context of armed conflict are serious violations of the Geneva Conventions and constitute war crimes under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
We call on the international community to continue exerting pressure on Russia to ensure unrestricted and safe access for international human rights and humanitarian organizations to all Ukrainian POW and civilians held on its territory.
According to the HRMMU, from June to August 2024, the actions of the terrorist state have resulted in 589 civilian deaths and 2,685 injuries, an increase of 45% over the previous three months. It is noted that July 2024 was the most deadliest month for civilians since October 2022, largely due to a massive and coordinated missile attack by Russia using precision-guided missiles on targets in Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih and the Kyiv region on 8 July.
Regarding the human rights situation in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, the HRMMU recorded that the Russian occupation authorities continued their policy of forcibly imposing Russian citizenship on the local population, confiscating property and deporting civilians. Numerous cases of arbitrary detention, torture and cruel treatment have also been documented.
There can be only one response to Russia's flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and human rights, to the unrelenting commission of war crimes and crimes against humanity by its leadership and military against the Ukrainian people: the pursuit of the perpetrators and the restoration of justice for the victims of such crimes.
We call on all to unite efforts and actions to make the inevitability of punishing international criminals not only a desirable goal, but an inevitable reality.