Members of the Russia鈥檚 Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, attend a session to ratify legislation on annexing Ukraine鈥檚 Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia regions into Russia, in Moscow, Russia October 4, 2022. Russian Federation Council/Handout via REUTERS
GENEVA 鈥� Russia鈥檚 claimed annexation of Ukraine territory will only exacerbate human rights violations, the UN rights office said Tuesday as it outlined the 鈥渦nspeakable suffering and devastation鈥� inflicted on Ukrainians.
Christian Salazar Volkmann, presenting a report on rights in Ukraine to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, said UN experts had documented 鈥渁 range of violations of the rights to life, liberty and security鈥�.
鈥淭he Russian Federation鈥檚 wide-scale armed attack has resulted in a dire human rights situation across Ukraine,鈥� the UN rights office鈥檚 field operations chief said.
鈥淭he people in Ukraine have experienced unspeakable suffering and devastation.鈥�
He said the office鈥檚 Human Rights Monitoring Mission, which has been present in Ukraine since 2014, had documented 6,114 civilians killed since Russia鈥檚 full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, stressing though that 鈥渢he real figures are likely considerably higher.鈥�
鈥淭he Russian Federation鈥檚 armed attack has caused the death of thousands and brought about widespread destruction of civilian objects and infrastructure,鈥� Salazar Volkmann said.
And he warned that the situation would only worsen as Russia pushes forward with annexing the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, following hastily arranged referendums dismissed as a 鈥渟ham鈥� by the West.
鈥淲ith the purported annexation鈥� the Russian Federation has taken steps which deepen rather than resolve the conflict, and exacerbate the human rights violations associated with it,鈥� Salazar Volkmann said.
Scale of damage, destruction
The UN rights office鈥檚 34th report on the human rights situation in Ukraine, covering February 1 to July 31 this year, shows that civilians were bearing the brunt of the hostilities, Salazar Volkmann told the council.
He said the vast majority of documented civilian casualties were caused by explosive weapons being used in populated areas, 鈥渇or the most part by Russian forces and affiliated armed groups鈥�.
鈥淭he sheer scale of damage and destruction is a strong indication that violations have occurred,鈥� he said.
He said people were being 鈥渇orced to live in degrading conditions鈥�, unable to access their rights to housing, education, health, food and water.
The official said 鈥渄isturbing accounts鈥� were now emerging of violations in detention, of both civilians and prisoners of war, while enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention had become 鈥渨idespread鈥� in territory controlled by Russia and its proxies.
鈥淎ppalling reports of torture and ill-treatment鈥� of civilians and POWs continue, with two documented cases of Ukrainian servicemen having been 鈥渢ortured to death鈥�, he said.
鈥楽ham referenda at gunpoint鈥�
In response, Ukrainian ambassador Yevheniia Filipenko said: 鈥淚nnocent people are being killed, their homes, their lives are being destroyed on the direct orders from terrorist number one.鈥�
鈥淩ussian forces are sending Ukrainian citizens to filtration camps before forcibly relocating them to Russia,鈥� she told the council.
鈥淩ussia organised the illegal mass adoption of Ukrainian children after they had been forcibly transferred,鈥� saying 200,000 children were affected.
British ambassador Simon Manley said the report made clear the 鈥渉orrifying scope鈥� of Russian President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 violations of international law.
鈥淎ggression abroad, repression at home. There is one simple way to end the suffering in Ukraine: President Putin, bring your troops home. End the war, respect the law,鈥� he said.
US ambassador Michele Taylor said Russia鈥檚 war had caused 鈥渘eedless death, abuse and suffering鈥�, and Washington was 鈥渁ppalled鈥� by reports of Russian mistreatment of POWs.
European Union ambassador Lotte Knudsen condemned the violations of international law and said the 鈥渁trocities, destruction and suffering鈥� in Ukraine had caused a 鈥済lobal economic, food and energy crisis鈥�.
German deputy ambassador Hans-Peter Jugel said there could be no 鈥渋mpunity for these atrocities鈥� and Berlin would 鈥渘ever accept the results of the sham referenda carried out at gunpoint鈥�.
Russia鈥檚 spokeswoman in the council slammed the 鈥渙ne-sided and imbalanced character of this report which reflects Western approaches to reporting on the Ukraine crisis鈥�.
She did not address the report鈥檚 points concerning Russia but listed allegations against Ukraine.
She regretted that the UN rights office 鈥減resents this information in a blurred and vague fashion which only gives free rein to the Kyiv regime and facilitates its impunity鈥�.
Venezuela complained of selectivity, politicisation and double standards, and Syria said the report was 鈥渋mbalanced and reflects a one-sided viewpoint鈥�, sentiments echoed by Belarus.
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