Russian Soldiers Hanged Woman At City Center For Saying Occupied City Is Ukraine's https://www.ibtimes.com/russian-sol...-center-saying-occupied-city-ukraines-3627708 A nurse and her husband were abducted in the occupied city of Skadovsk, Ukraine, on Oct. 7 The woman was allegedly hanged in the city center because she said "Skadovsk is Ukraine" The woman's family has appealed to Ukrainian law enforcement agencies Russian forces allegedly kidnapped a nurse in the partially occupied Ukrainian region of Kherson and hanged her because she insisted her city was still part of Ukraine. Tetyana Mudryenko, 56, and her husband, 60-year-old Anatoly Orekhov, were abducted from their own yard in Skadovsk, Ukraine, on Oct. 7, the Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR) said in a statement. Witnesses claimed that former Ukrainian police officers who collaborated with Russian forces carried out the kidnappings, according to the Ukrainian non-governmental organization that reports Russian human rights violations in Ukraine. Orekhov was beaten, while the couple's car was taken and their house ransacked, said Mudryenko's twin sister Natalya Chorniy, according to MIHR. Chorniy said she was told by an unnamed local resident that her sister had been hanged in front of Skadovsk's court building. According to Mudryenko's sister, the resident claimed police collaborators were responsible for the hanging just like the abductions. However, Serhii Khlan, the deputy of the Kherson Regional Council, alleged that both incidents were instead committed by Russian forces, the Media Center Ukraine civic initiative reported Monday. "[Mudryenko] was hanged in the center of the city because she said, 'Skadovsk is Ukraine,'" Khlan explained. Chorniy also said she was told that the phrase could have been the reason for her sister's death. Killing, torturing or taking hostage of non-combatants in war violates the Geneva Conventions. Russian occupiers initially denied the information about Mudryenko's death, but they ended up confirming it on Oct. 15, according to MIHR. Chorniy received a photo of her sister's body in the morgue. The cause of death was suffocation, a medical examiner's report that was sent along with the photo showed. There was no information on the fate of Orekhov until Oct. 18, when it was made known that he had been released from captivity and allowed to bury his wife. Mudryenko's family has appealed to Ukrainian law enforcement agencies following her death. Orekhov's current situation is unknown.
Tracking Russian war crimes of trying to wipe out Ukrainian culture. Before-and-after satellite imagery will track Ukraine cultural damage, UN says The project has already found damage at 200 sites and will assess the impact of Russia’s war on architecture, art, historic buildings and other cultural heritage https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...ry-will-track-ukraine-cultural-damage-un-says The United Nations is using before-and-after satellite imagery to monitor the cultural destruction inflicted by Russia’s war on Ukraine. Photograph: AP The United Nations is using before-and-after satellite imagery to systematically monitor the cultural destruction inflicted on Ukraine by Russia’s war, announcing it will launch its tracking platform publicly within weeks. The platform, to be launched by the UN’s culture agency Unesco, will assess the impact on Ukraine’s architecture, art, historic buildings and other cultural heritage. An initial list found damage to 207 cultural sites since the Russian invasion began eight months ago, including 88 religious sites, 15 museums, 76 buildings of historical and or artistic interest, 18 monuments and 10 libraries. The worst-affected regions are in eastern Ukraine and around the capital, with Donetsk region having 59 verified damaged cultural sites, followed by Kharkiv with 51, Kyiv with 30 and Luhansk with 25. Satellite image provided by Maxar satellite imagery analysis via Unosat, shows the ‘Korabelny Palace of Culture, in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, on 4 February 2022, left, and the same site on 21 July 2022, right. Photograph: AP “Our conclusion is it’s bad, and it may continue to get even worse,” Unesco’s cultural and emergencies director Krista Pikkat told reporters at a briefing in Geneva on Wednesday. “Cultural heritage is very often collateral damage during wars but sometimes it’s specifically targeted as it’s the essence of the identity of countries.” Unesco – the UN educational, scientific and cultural organisation – has joined forces with the UN satellite centre Unosat to produce the platform. Based on reports from the field, alerts from Ukraine’s culture ministry and findings from social media and other sources, Unesco sends a list of potentially damaged sites to Unosat. It then asks for satellite images from commercial suppliers. Unesco pays for the very high resolution images bought from Maxar and Airbus, costing about €10 ($10) a square kilometre. A small team of Unosat experts study the difference in before-and-after pictures. “We conduct daily analysis on Ukraine using satellite images in order to have a better understanding of the situation on the ground,” Manuel Fiol, the senior imagery analyst, told Agence France-Presse. The team matches up the images, analyses the degree of damage and is able to give a time window in which the damage took place. Whether an image can be obtained depends on the weather, with the work expected to become harder during the coming winter, as cloud cover sets in or snow blankets sites. This satellite image provided by Maxar satellite imagery analysis via Unosat, shows an Orthodox Christian monastery in Sviatohirsk, Ukraine, on 7 September 2020, left, and the same site on 25 June 2022, right. Photograph: AP The affected locations are marked on a map and the platform has a searchable database. The platform does not attribute blame for the damage. “We are not in the business of saying who did what and why,” said Pikkat. “Our primary responsibility is to make sure that we have information available about the sites and the situation they’re in, to be ready for recovery.” “But we know that in previous circumstances this documentation has been used also by the country authorities if they want to look into allegations of war crimes.” So far in the war, none of the seven world heritage sites in Ukraine have been damaged.
From the International Court of Justice: Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Ukraine v. Russian Federation) https://www.icj-cij.org/en/case/182/press-releases
In newly liberated villages, Ukrainian investigators uncover horrific claims of Russian sexual violence https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/02/europe/russia-ukraine-kherson-sexual-violence-intl/index.html
A pure Soviet playbook... Russians try to subdue Ukrainian towns by seizing mayors https://apnews.com/article/russia-u...ment-europe-e4e8d5a847aff39c78871c7ab1cb9c10?
US Ambassador to UN: Russia will be held accountable for its war crimes https://kyivindependent.com/nationa...a-will-be-held-accountable-for-its-war-crimes
Ukraine: Russia’s unlawful transfer of civilians a war crime and likely a crime against humanity – new report Russian forces tortured and deported civilians from Ukraine Children separated from families after forcible transfer Older people, people with disabilities, and children struggle to leave Russia https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/n...d-likely-a-crime-against-humanity-new-report/ Russian authorities forcibly transferred and deported civilians from occupied areas of Ukraine in what amounted to war crimes and likely crimes against humanity, Amnesty International said in a new report published today. The report, “Like a Prison Convoy”: Russia’s Unlawful Transfer of Civilians in Ukraine and Abuses During ‘Filtration’, details how Russian and Russian-controlled forces forcibly transferred civilians from occupied Ukraine further into Russian-controlled areas or into Russia. Children have been separated from their families during the process, in violation of international humanitarian law. Civilians told Amnesty International how they were forced through abusive screening processes – known as ‘filtration’ – which sometimes resulted in arbitrary detention, torture, and other ill-treatment. Russia’s deplorable tactic of forcible transfer and deportation is a war crime Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General “Separating children from their families and forcing people hundreds of kilometres from their homes are further proof of the severe suffering Russia’s invasion has inflicted on Ukraine’s civilians,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General. “Since the start of their war of aggression against Ukraine, itself an international crime, Russian forces have indiscriminately attacked and unlawfully killed civilians, destroyed countless lives, and torn families apart. No one has been spared, not even children. “Russia’s deplorable tactic of forcible transfer and deportation is a war crime. Amnesty International believes this must be investigated as a crime against humanity. “All those forcibly transferred and still unlawfully detained must be allowed to leave, and everyone responsible for committing these crimes must be held accountable. Children in Russian custody must be reunited with their families, and their return to Ukrainian government-controlled areas must be facilitated.” Amnesty International documented cases in which members of specific groups – including children, older people and people with disabilities – were forcibly transferred to other Russian-occupied areas or unlawfully deported to Russia. In one case, a woman was separated from her 11-year-old son during filtration, detained, and not reunited with him, in clear violation of international humanitarian law. People detained during filtration told Amnesty International they had been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, including being beaten, electroshocked and threatened with execution. Others had been denied food and water, with many held in dangerous and overcrowded conditions. Amnesty International interviewed 88 people from Ukraine. The majority were civilians from Mariupol, as well as civilians from the Kharkiv, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Most, especially those from Mariupol, described coercive conditions that meant that they had no meaningful choice but to go to Russia or other Russian-occupied areas. Amnesty International considers Russia’s annexation of Ukrainian territory, including the so-called ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’ (DNR) in the Russian-controlled part of Donetsk Region, to be illegal. Forcible transfer from Mariupol In early March 2022, the southeastern city of Mariupol was completely surrounded by Russian forces, making evacuations impossible. The city was subjected to near-constant bombardment, and civilians lacked access to running water, heat or electricity. Thousands of people were able to evacuate the city towards Ukrainian government-held areas in mid-March, but as Russia gradually occupied the city, it forcibly transferred some civilians in neighbourhoods under its control, cutting them off from other escape routes. Civilians said they felt coerced to go on ‘evacuation’ buses to the DNR. Milena, 33, told Amnesty International her experience while trying to flee Mariupol: “We started to ask questions about evacuation, where it is possible to go… I was told [by a Russian soldier] that it was only possible to go to the DNR or to Russia. Another girl asked about other possibilities [to evacuate], for instance to Ukraine… The answer came straight away, the soldier interrupted and said, ‘If you don’t go to the DNR or the Russian Federation, you will stay here forever’.” Milena’s husband, a former marine with the Ukrainian military, was detained soon afterwards while crossing the border into Russia, and has not yet been released. Forcible transfer of children and other at-risk groups The laws of armed conflict prohibit the individual or mass forcible transfer of protected persons, including civilians, from occupied territory. In several cases, children fleeing without parents or other guardians towards Ukrainian-held territory were stopped at Russian military checkpoints, and transferred into the custody of Russian-controlled authorities in Donetsk. As mentioned, an 11-year-old boy was separated from his mother during filtration, which violates international humanitarian law. The boy and his mother were captured and detained from the Illich Steel and Iron Works in Mariupol in mid-April by Russian forces. They told me I was going to be taken away from my mom… I was shocked… An 11-year-old boy who was separated from his mother He told Amnesty International: “They took my mom to another tent. She was being questioned… They told me I was going to be taken away from my mom… I was shocked… They didn’t say anything about where my mom was going… I have not heard from her since.” The report also details the forcible transfer to Donetsk of all 92 residents of a state institution for older people and people with disabilities in Mariupol. Amnesty International documented several cases in which older people from Ukraine appeared to have been placed in an institution in Russia or Russian-occupied areas after fleeing their homes. This practice violates the person’s rights, and makes it difficult for them to leave Russia or to reunite with family members in Ukraine or elsewhere. Once in Russia, several people said that they felt pressured into applying for Russian citizenship, or said their movements were restricted. The process of obtaining Russian citizenship has been simplified for children who are alleged to be either orphans or without parental care, and for some people with disabilities. This was meant to facilitate the adoption of these children by Russian families, in violation of international law. These actions indicate a deliberate Russian policy related to its deportation from Ukraine to Russia of civilians, including children, suggesting that in addition to the war crime of unlawful deportation and transfer, Russia has likely committed the crime against humanity of deportation or forcible transfer. Abusive screening processes, detention, and torture Civilians from Ukraine who fled or were transferred to Russian-occupied areas or to Russia were usually forced through an abusive screening process when entering the DNR, when crossing the border into Russia, and also when leaving Russia for a third country. This process violates their rights to privacy and physical integrity. At filtration points, officials took photographs of people, collected their fingerprints, searched people’s phones, forced some men to strip to their waists, and interrogated people at length. Amnesty International documented seven cases where people suffered torture and other ill-treatment during detention. One case involved a 31-year-old woman, another a 17-year-old boy, and five were men in their 20s or 30s. They bound my hands with tape and put a bag over my head and put tape around my neck… Vitalii, 31, who was tortured by Russian soldiers while being detained Vitalii, 31, was detained when he tried to leave Mariupol on an evacuation bus on 28 April. After Russian soldiers declared there was an issue with his documentation, he was forced onto a bus with several other men. He was driven to Dokuchaevsk, a town close to Donetsk, and placed in a cell with 15 men, before being taken for interrogation. He told Amnesty International: “They bound my hands with tape and put a bag over my head and put tape around my neck… Then they said, ‘Tell us everything… Tell us where you serve, which base?’… [When I said I wasn’t a soldier] they started beating me in the kidneys very hard… I was on my knees, they were mostly kicking me. When they took me back to the garage, they said, ‘Every day, we will do this to you’.” Amnesty International documented other cases that amount to enforced disappearances under international human rights law, and to the war crimes of unlawful confinement, torture and inhuman treatment. Hussein, a 20-year-old student from Azerbaijan, was detained while fleeing Mariupol for Zaporizhzhia in mid-March, and held for almost a month. He was accused of being a member of the Ukrainian military, and beaten while being interrogated. Hussein told Amnesty International: “One of the soldiers said, ‘He won’t talk like this, bring the electric shocker’… There were two wires, they put them around my big toes and started shocking me repeatedly… They beat me repeatedly… I lost consciousness. They poured a bucket of water on me, and I woke up again. I couldn’t take it anymore, I just said, ‘Yes, I’m a soldier’. They continued beating me, I fell off the chair and they pulled me back up. There was blood coming out of my feet.” Hussein was threatened with execution, beaten and electroshocked every day, until just a few days before his release on 12 April. Russia and Russian-controlled forces must immediately stop their violent abuses against detainees Agnès Callamard “Russia and Russian-controlled forces must immediately stop their violent abuses against detainees,” said Agnès Callamard. “The Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court and other relevant authorities must investigate these abhorrent crimes, including those against victims from at-risk groups. All those responsible for deportation and forcible transfer, as well as torture and other crimes under international law committed during filtration, must face justice.” Methodology Amnesty International interviewed 88 women, men and children from Ukraine for the report. At the time of the interviews, all but one were in Ukrainian government-controlled areas or were in a safe third country in Europe. One person remained in a Russian-occupied area. Accountability for war crimes Amnesty International has been documenting war crimes and other violations of international humanitarian law committed during Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine since the conflict began. All of Amnesty International’s outputs are available here. Amnesty International has repeatedly called for members of Russian forces and officials responsible for the aggression against Ukraine and for violations to be held to account, and has welcomed the ongoing International Criminal Court investigation in Ukraine. Comprehensive accountability in Ukraine will require the concerted efforts of the UN and its organs, as well as initiatives at the national level pursuant to the principle of universal jurisdiction.
Germany allocates extra 1 billion euros to Ukraine cyber-defence, documenting war crimes https://news.yahoo.com/germany-allocates-extra-1-billion-134153914.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
Putin's retreating forces rig corpses, bikes and teddy bears with explosives https://au.news.yahoo.com/putins-re...teddy-bears-explosives-ukraine-220839634.html