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Amnesty Accuses Ukraine’s Military of Endangering Civilians

HeadlineAug 05, 2022

Ukrainian officials are urging residents to evacuate the eastern Donetsk region and head west, under a mandatory evacuation order for thousands of people. The order came as Russian troops intensified their assault on Ukraine’s east, where President Volodymyr Zelensky said his troops are facing “hell” on the battlefield.

A new report from Amnesty International finds Ukrainian forces are endangering the lives of civilians by establishing bases and operating weapons systems in populated residential areas, including in schools and hospitals. Amnesty says such fighting tactics violate international humanitarian law. The report drew an angry response from President Zelensky.

President Volodymyr Zelensky: “Aggression against our state is unprovoked, invasive and, frankly, terroristic. And if someone prepares a report in which the victim and the aggressor are allegedly the same in some way, if some data about the victim is analyzed while something that the aggressor was doing at that time is ignored, then this cannot be tolerated.”

In a statement, Amnesty International said, “Being in a defensive position does not exempt the Ukrainian military from respecting international humanitarian law.”

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