HRW accuses Russia of the deaths of almost a hundred civilians during its bombing campaign in Chernigov

The humanitarian organization also denounces the Ukrainian forces for risking civilian lives by using public buildings as bases.

MADRID, 10 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused this Friday the Russian forces of the deaths of almost a hundred civilians during two weeks of bombings that occurred in early March in the Ukrainian city of Chernigov, and within a campaign of air attacks which was a flagrant violation of the laws of war for using the prohibited cluster munition on at least one occasion and for targeting hospitals.

The Russian Army began the air campaign against Chernigov on the first day of the invasion of Ukraine, on February 24, and launched the bulk of the bombing from March 3 to 17, the period investigated by Human Rights Watch (HRW). After more than a month of siege, Russia began to lift its siege on March 31, when the General Staff announced a shift in military operations to concentrate its offensive power in the east of the country, instead of the areas near the capital. like this city.

HRW has compiled all the information at its disposal on the two weeks at the height of the attacks, denouncing a total of approximately 98 dead and 123 wounded in eight confirmed bombings from the sources to which it has had access: more than twenty of witnesses, local emergency managers, as well as the Chernigov Regional Administration and the local Prosecutor's Office --the latter responsible for providing the balance--. HRW has also had access to satellite images of the bombed sites.

The NGO takes the opportunity to point out the Ukrainian defense forces for having risked, quite likely, the lives of civilians in five of these bombings, such as setting up a checkpoint near a hospital.

"The failure of the Ukrainian forces to remove civilians probably increased the toll, but the attacker must distinguish between civilians and combatants," said HRW senior researcher Belkis Wille, who has insisted that these Russian attacks "were disproportionate" and maintains that Russia acted without respect for the lives of civilians.

The most serious attack occurred on March 3, when a bombardment by Russian forces ended up against an apartment complex, killing 47 civilians, according to HRW. Another attack on March 17 against a medical complex comprising two hospitals killed 14 civilians and injured 21. This latest attack was carried out with cluster munitions, which are prohibited under international law for their indiscriminate range.

"The Russian attacks on Chernigov demonstrate the devastating impact civilians suffer when conflict forces use wide-range explosive weapons in populated areas, leading to an increase in disproportionate and probably illegal attacks," the NGO concluded.