The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said on Wednesday that the large-scale and indiscriminate Russian attacks were of "great concern", noting that they could amount to "war crimes".
"Indiscriminate attacks are prohibited under international humanitarian law," Bachelet told the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
While she resorted to using the formula of possibility, given that the commission of war crimes must be proven by the court, the former Chilean president did not leave any room for doubt in accusing Russia, although she did not completely deny the responsibility of the Ukrainian forces.
"The massive destruction of civilian objects and the large number of civilian casualties strongly suggest that the basic principles of distinction (between military and civilian objectives), proportionality and precaution have not been adequately adhered to," she added.
She noted that "the panic and torment experienced by the Ukrainian people are felt by everyone in the world, they want an end to the war and a return to peace, security and human dignity, and it is time to hear their call," calling on Moscow to "immediately move in order to withdraw its forces from Ukrainian territory."
Bachelet expressed her concern about the use of weapons with high destructive capabilities in populated areas, causing "significant damage to civilian objects."
And she confirmed that her team has "credible information that the Russian armed forces have used cluster munitions at least 24 times in populated areas," and her team is also investigating whether the Ukrainian army has also used this type of weapon.
It is noteworthy that Moscow and Kiev have not joined the agreement that prohibits the use of these weapons, which are considered lethal and extremely dangerous for civilians, because in most cases they do not explode immediately and turn into mines.
Bachelet also presented in detail the attacks on health facilities, noting that about 77 of them were damaged, including 50 hospitals, and about 10 of these buildings were completely destroyed, but she believes that the actual number is “probably much higher”, and this applies to the number of civilian deaths that the Commission is counting. Highly accurate since February 24 last.
This outcome indicates the killing of 1,189 civilians - including 98 children - as of March 29 in Ukraine. This assessment is much less than the reality due to the inability of UNHCR teams to reach the most targeted places, such as the city of Mariupol (southeast). Recently, thanks to satellite images, the presence of mass graves, according to Agence France-Presse.
The Ukrainian authorities indicated that between 5 and 10 thousand people were killed in this besieged city for weeks.