Russia War Crimes Diary – Ukraine edition 24

As Russia’s 18-month war against Ukraine drags on, Moscow’s forces have been conducting a sustained campaign attacking Ukraine’s Danube River ports with the aim of choking the war-torn nation’s grain exports. 

But the attacks on the Danube ports such as Izmail and Reni, are bringing the war closer to NATO member Romania’s territory. Those ports, as well as Ukraine’s Kiliia port, are situated on the other side of the Danube which forms a natural border with Romania. Last week, Romania’s defence ministry confirmed that drone debris “similar to those used by the Russian army” has been found on two separate occasions on Romanian soil.

While the drone debris findings by Romania spotlights the risk of the war geographically spreading, recent Russian attacks that have killed civilians serve as a reminder of the deadly realities of Moscow’s war for Ukrainians. 

On Sunday, two foreign aid workers, Emma Igual (Spain) and Anthony Ihnat (Canada) were killed in eastern Ukraine and dozens of Russian drones struck Kyiv, wounding at least five civilians. At a marketplace in eastern Ukraine on Sep. 7, killed 16 people and wounded dozens more. 

Meanwhile, journalists and other organisations continue to document Russia’s war crimes.

Ukrainian civilian tortured and beaten by Russian forces

A 22-year-old man who suffered from mental health issues was kept in detention for several months by occupying Russian forces who subjected him to brutal beatings that left him close to death, according to Important Stories. 

Leonid Popov lost 40 kilograms after being taken prisoner by Russian forces while he was staying with his father in Ukraine’s southeastern city of Melitopol. Photos of Popov after his ordeal show him looking rake-thin.

“I was so scared to fall asleep. I was scared that they would come and choke me again, kill me.,” he said. “ I was so thirsty, but they wouldn’t give water. But most of all, I wanted to eat. Then they beat me even harder. They beat me so hard that I couldn’t use the toilet for four days.” The full story can be read here.

Russia used banned cluster munitions on eastern Ukraine town centre

Russia used banned cluster munitions in a residential area in the Ukrainian city of Lyman in early July where low-rise buildings, a garden square, and shops are located, according to Human Rights Watch. 

The town of Lyman in the Donetsk region has been under frequent shelling since 2014 due to its proximity to the front lines of the war. “By apparently using an inherently indiscriminate weapon, Russia’s attack on Lyman caused civilian deaths, injuries and property damage,” said Ida Sawyer, the director of HRW director of Crisis and Conflict.

“I saw six people dead, both men and women,” a witness told HRW. “We put 13 wounded people into ambulances and moved them to a hospital. There were wounds [to their] legs, stomachs, heads, and hands..” The full article can be read here.

Ukrainian woman repeatedly raped by Russian soldier during occupation  

A Russian soldier has been accused by Ukrainian prosecutors of raping a Ukrainian woman and violating international laws of war.

Kherson Regional Prosecutor’s Office said it has notified the Russian serviceman, Vladik Nebiyev, 30, who they alledged raped the Ukrainian woman daily and took advantage of her poor health as well as forced her to take medications of unknown origin. 

According to Ukrainian law enforcement, the Russian serviceman was acting on behalf of the Russian special services. Investigative journalists at Slidstvo learned more about the alleged rapist from social media sites. The full article can be read here.

Torture and physical abuse of workers at Ukraine’s southern nuclear power plant 

The perimeter around what is Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in the Ukrainian city of Enerhodar is mined, and workers there are being kidnapped and tortured for not cooperating with occupying Russian forces, according to the city’s mayor. 

Journalists at Slidstvo.info spoke to workers at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station as well as locals in the area. “Some security systems have been mined, which may lead to the impossibility of operating the reactors for several years,” said one ZNPP employee.

„Workers were taken away, first of all those responsible for operation, and subjected to torture – electric shocks were used, fingers were cut to the bone. I was personally kidnapped 4 times,” said a worker at the nuclear power plant who did not want to be named for security reasons.

The journalists managed to identify the military personnel allegedly involved in the torture of Ukrainians. Read the full story here.

Russia’s deliberate targeting of civilian areas in eastern Ukraine may amount to war crimes

The Ukrainian cities of Pokrovsk and Kramatorsk have been subjected to massive attacks by Russian forces since the 2014 eastern occupation. This summer, Moscow’s forces have been targeting civilian areas in violation of international laws of warfare. 

One such target was the Druzhba hotel in Pokrovsk, which killed nine people and left 99 injured. As rescue workers were pulling people out of the rubble, Russian forces struck the hotel again. 

“In my opinion, the enemy’s goal is to panic the civilian population, that is, to destroy rescue services, medical care, national police, that is, to reduce the number of people who could help the civilian population,” said Vyacheslav Feliushyn, the head of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Donetsk region.

Russian forces also targeted a civilian restaurant where journalists and volunteers worked. On that day, restaurant employees were killed and many people were left injured, including an eight-month-old baby.

“Based on the available data, we can now say that this is a possible war crime,” explains Serhiy Movchan, head of Ukraine’s department for documenting war crimes. Watch the video here.

Edited by Stephen McGrath
Photo: Emma Igual (L) – Source: Giammarco Sicuro/ Road to Relief