Status: 10/11/2022 1:18 p.m
Again, Russian drones and rockets are said to have been fired at Ukrainian targets. Yesterday, Russia had already shelled Kyiv, among other places. Eleven NATO countries condemned this and called for compliance with martial law.
Ukrainian authorities have again reported attacks by Russian missiles and combat drones in several regions. Air alert was sounded across the country. Among other things, the Ukrainian authorities stated that Zaporizhia in the south of the country had been fired at with rockets. These hit a school, a medical facility and residential buildings, City Council Secretary Anatoly Kurtev said, according to the AP news agency.
According to civil protection, to which the agency also refers, twelve S-300 rockets hit public facilities and caused a major fire. Many Ukrainians who would have ignored the regular sirens in the past would have gone back to shelters in the face of the Russian attacks on Monday.
Firefighters put out the fire after a Russian missile attack in Zaporizhia on October 11.
Image: via REUTERS
Confirmation of Russian military bloggers
There were also explosions in the vicinity of the capital Kyiv and in the Khmelnytskyi area, and the air defense system was deployed, officials said. The Dnipropetrovsk region is said to have been attacked as well. According to the dpa news agency, Russian military bloggers close to the Kremlin confirmed the massive rocket fire in Ukraine.
Ukrainian media reported that 20 rockets landed on Tuesday morning. The day before, the Ukrainian authorities had counted more than 80 Russian attacks. Many were averted by the air defenses. 19 people died.
UN Human Rights Office: Could be war crimes
According to the UN Human Rights Office, the latest Russian attacks in Ukraine could constitute war crimes. Targeting civilians or infrastructure such as power plants that people need to survive is prohibited under international humanitarian law, a spokeswoman for the Geneva office said.
“The locations and times of the attacks – when people went to work or took children to school – is particularly shocking,” spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said. Twelve energy companies and other important infrastructure were hit.
The UN Human Rights Office called on Russia to refrain from further escalation and to do everything in its power to avoid civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.
Eleven NATO heads of state want to bring those responsible to justice
The presidents of eleven NATO countries in Central and Eastern Europe have also sharply condemned the recent Russian missile attacks on Ukraine. “On behalf of our states, we demand that Russia immediately stop attacks on civilian targets. We will not relax in our efforts to bring those responsible for today’s crimes to justice,” they said in a joint statement. It was signed by the heads of state of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Hungary, Slovenia and Slovakia.
In the statement, the heads of state also noted that war crimes and crimes against humanity are not subject to any statute of limitations and are subject to the jurisdiction of courts around the world.
In connection with the war, the Kremlin had repeatedly and indirectly threatened to use nuclear weapons. “We consider any threats by Russian officials to use nuclear weapons to be unacceptable. In this context, we reaffirm our commitment to protect our countries and allies,” the eleven heads of state continued.