The Associated Press states:
Ukrainian authorities placed the fault squarely on Moscow, accusing Russia of killing more than 50 vulnerable civilians in a brutal and unprovoked attack.
But then comes this:
A new United Nations report has found that Ukraine’s armed forces bear a large, and perhaps equal, share of the blame for what happened at the care home in Stara Krasnyanka, which is about 360 miles southeast of Kyiv. A few days before the March 11 attack, Ukrainian soldiers took up positions inside the nursing home, effectively making the building a target.
The use of human shields is well-known in Gaza, by Palestinians. It is horrifying to find it being used in the Russia-Ukraine war. In the UN Human Rights’ Office of the High Commissioner report, Ukraine is now identified with “concern” about human rights violations.
The report entitled “Situation of Human Rights in Ukraine in the Context of the Armed Attack by the Russian Federation,” includes a section that identifies the “placement of military objectives near civilian objects and the use of human shields...” Then it rebukes both Russia and Ukraine. It explains…
“The use of human shields is specifically prohibited by article 28 of Geneva Convention IV and article 51(7) of additional protocol I.”
About 22 patients with disabilities survived the Russian onslaught, out of 71.
Ukraine has now “consolidated all TV platforms in Ukraine into one state broadcast and restricted political rivals.”
“U.N. Says Ukraine Bears Share of Blame for Nursing Home Attack,” by Richard Lardner and Beatrice Dupuy, Associated Press, July 9, 2022:
Two weeks after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, Kremlin-backed rebels assaulted a nursing home in the eastern region of Luhansk. Dozens of elderly and disabled patients, many of them bedridden, were trapped inside without water or electricity.
The March 11 assault sparked a fire that spread throughout the facility, suffocating people who couldn’t move. A small number of patients and staff escaped and fled into a nearby forest, finally getting assistance after walking several miles.
In a war awash in atrocities, the attack on the nursing home near the village of Stara Krasnyanka stood out for its cruelty. And Ukrainian authorities placed the fault squarely on Moscow, accusing Russia of killing more than 50 vulnerable civilians in a brutal and unprovoked attack.
But a new United Nations report has found that Ukraine’s armed forces bear a large, and perhaps equal, share of the blame for what happened at the care home in Stara Krasnyanka, which is about 360 miles southeast of Kyiv. A few days before the March 11 attack, Ukrainian soldiers took up positions inside the nursing home, effectively making the building a target.
At least 22 of the nursing home’s 71 patients survived the assault, according to the U.N., “but the exact number of persons killed remains unknown.”
This story is part of an ongoing investigation from The Associated Press and FRONTLINE that includes the War Crimes Watch Ukraine interactive experience and an upcoming documentary.
The report by the office of the U.N.’s High Commissioner for Human Rights doesn’t conclude the Ukrainian soldiers or the troops from the pro-Moscow, self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic committed a war crime. But it said the battle at the Stara Krasnyanka nursing home is emblematic of the human rights office’s concerns over the potential use of “human shields” to prevent military operations in certain areas….
Kepha says
It doesn’t change the fact that Russia was engaging in naked aggression.
gravenimage says
+1
Keith O says
The report doesn’t address the reason for Russian troop attacking the nursing home in the first place.
Any location can be bypassed, isolated and dealt with later.
However, given the UN’s tarnished reputation for telling the truth about anything that doesn’t fit it’s agender, I would take this report with a large grain of salt.
joanofark06 says
Agree! First thing I thought about was that.
gravenimage says
U.N. report: Ukraine used nursing home residents as human shields
……………………………..
With all respect, this accusation would only make sense if Ukraine was using this nursing home to launch unprovoked attacks on Russia.
Infidel says
At this point, even if Ukraine were to launch missile attacks on Russian territory, I wouldn’t fault them one bit: it’s not like the 2 countries are not at war
gravenimage says
Infidel, I mentioned *unprovoked* attacks. This only would have been the case if Ukraine had attacked Russia first, which obviously did not happen.
Treereen says
Is this the same Associated Press that didn’t mind sharing a building in Gaza with terrorists know for the use of “human shields”, who according to their current logic made the building a valid military target just by being there, but was “shocked and horrified” when the IDF hit that building?
gravenimage says
Good point, Treereen.
And I can’t find *any* references of the UN condemning Russian attacks on civilians in Ukraine, even though this is rife. I wish I could be surprised.
gravenimage says
This also means that the UN apparently considers it valid to invade another nation and then target its defenders. That itself is disturbing.