Zelensky accuses Amnesty International of justifying Russian attacks on Ukraine

MADRID, 5 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -

Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky accused Amnesty International (AI) on Thursday of justifying Russian attacks on Ukraine after the NGO published a report in which it pointed to the Ukrainian Army for carrying out combat techniques that endanger the lives of civilians.

Referring to a Russian attack perpetrated in recent hours in the city of Toretsk -and in which eight people have died-, Zelenski has assured in his daily message to the Ukrainian population that he has not seen such "clear and timely" reports " of some international organizations on the "crimes committed by Russian terrorists".

"Regarding this (the attack on Toretsk) and thousands of other crimes committed by Russian terrorists, we do not see clear and timely reports. We have seen a completely different report from Amnesty, which unfortunately tries to amnesty Russia and shift the responsibility from the aggressor to the victim. ", he asserted.

Zelenski has stressed that there is no condition under which a Russian attack on Ukraine can be justified, and has assured that "it cannot be tolerated" that an organization makes a report equating "the victim with the aggressor".

"Nearly 200 religious buildings have been damaged or destroyed. Almost 900 medical institutions. More than 2,200 schools. The Russian Army has not stopped short of attacking even the monuments to the victims of the Holocaust, and there are no reports about it for some reason." It is immoral", added the head of state.

In this sense, Zelenski has maintained that "whoever amnesties Russia and artificially creates an informative context" justifying "terrorist attacks" does not realize that he is helping them.

"And if these are manipulative reports, then you share responsibility for people's deaths with them," he added.

AI has denounced this Thursday early that the Ukrainian troops are carrying out combat tactics that endanger the lives of civilians and that violate Humanitarian Law by frequently operating in residential areas, including hospitals and schools.

AI Secretary General Agnès Callamard has warned Ukraine that "being in a defensive position does not exempt the Ukrainian Army from respecting international humanitarian law." For the organization, there is evidence that the Ukrainian Army has launched attacks "from populated residential areas and have established themselves in civilian buildings in 19 towns and villages in the regions."

Later, Callamard herself spoke out about the uproar caused by the report, accusing "social media 'mobs' and 'trolls'" of "attacking Amnesty International's investigations."

"This is called war propaganda, misinformation and misinformation. This will not undermine our impartiality and will not change the facts," Amnesty International's secretary general said on her Twitter social network profile.