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A UN rights commission has concluded that Russia’s drone attacks on civilians in south-eastern Ukraine constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes.
In a report published this week, the commission said Russian forces, operating under a centralised command, had systematically used drones to “intentionally target civilians and civilian objects and cause harm and destruction”.
The report was compiled by the UN’s independent international commission of inquiry on Ukraine, an independent body that reports back to the UN. The latest report looked at three regions of Ukraine in particular – Kherson, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk – which are close to the frontline and where drone attacks have increased in intensity over the past year.
In this area the frontline runs along the Dnipro River, and the report’s authors found that Russian drones sent across the lines had relentlessly targeted civilians and their houses, as well as gathering points, humanitarian distribution points, and objects of critical infrastructure that service civilians. Often, the attacks targeted the same locations repeatedly. Drone operators have also targeted ambulance crews and fire brigades.
The Russians have used various models of “small, short-range, and low-cost” drones, usually equipped with cameras and a guidance system, in the attacks. Some of them explode on impact while others drop explosives from above. These drones are distinct from the larger, long-range drones that Russia uses to bombard cities across Ukraine on a near-nightly basis.
Citing local authorities, the report estimated that more than 200 civilians have been killed by short-range Russian drones in the three regions over the past year, with 2,000 suffering injuries. The report’s authors conducted more than 200 interviews and reviewed more than 500 pieces of video evidence.
According to the report, the drone attacks amount to murder, as well as the war crime of intentionally targeting civilians. It also found that the attacks were being committed “as part of a coordinated policy to drive out civilians from those territories and amount to the crime against humanity of forcible transfer of population”.
Residents of Kherson recounted the grim reality of life under constant threat of targeted drone strikes to the Guardian late last year, explaining how simple trips around town had become a gauntlet where death could strike at any time.
“I heard the drone coming as the bus pulled in but I thought it would follow the bus, because that’s what they do, they hunt the buses,” said Dima Olifirenko, a 22-year-old Kherson resident. “But when it drove off the drone was still there and I realised even if I ran after the bus it would get me. There was nowhere to hide.”
Oliferenko suffered shrapnel injuries to his face when the drone exploded. “Drones are much worse than artillery, [where] you can hear the launch and where its flying,” he said. “With a drone, it’s there, it sees you, and you are done.”
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The UN report suggested that part of the rationale behind Russia’s actions was to create an environment of terror and force civilians to leave areas close to the frontline. It quoted a woman who lived in an area frequently targeted by drones who spoke about the psychological impact: “It is a lottery – will a drone fly in or not? You go to bed and you don’t know if you will be killed or wake up in the morning.”
Russia has always denied targeting civilians, but over nearly four years of full-scale war in Ukraine, Russian missiles and drones have frequently hit civilian areas. Russian authorities declined to cooperate with the UN inquiry. The authors said they had also wanted to investigate Russian reports of Ukrainian drone attacks against civilian targets in Russian-occupied areas, but had been unable to do so due to a lack of engagement from Moscow.
“The Russian Federation continued not to recognise the Commission and 35 written requests for access, information, and meetings, remained unanswered,” the report said.
