INVESTIGATION OF GENOCIDE AND ECOCIDE IN WARTIME CONDITIONS

Abstract

With reference to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, from April 14, 2014 to the beginning of September 2022, from 42 to 44 thousand people were injured or killed in the fighting in the eastern part of Ukraine (Donetsk and Luhansk regions). Since February 24, 2022, between 13,100 and 13,300 people have died as a result of the war. Of them, 3,375 are civilians, approximately 4,150 are Ukrainian military personnel, and approximately 5,700 are militants. In addition, 29,500–33,500 people have been injured since the beginning of hostilities in Donbas. Of them, 7,000 to 9,000 civilians, 9,700 to 10,700 Ukrainian military personnel, and 12,700 to 13,700 militants. Thus, civilians account for 25-26% of the total number of dead. This ratio also applies to injuries. However, it is worth noting that this ratio has changed significantly over the years: from 33–34% in 2014 to 4–5% in 2019–2022. In the UN, among the statistics of the deaths of military personnel, there are also cases not directly related to military operations. In particular, as a result of careless handling of weapons, traffic accidents, illnesses during service in the conflict zone, murders and suicides, which make up about 30% of the total number. Additionally, in 2019 and 2020, up to 40% of military deaths in a conflict zone are due to disease, homicide, suicide, traffic accidents, and other non-combat related causes. However, these cases are not included in the specified ratio. From February 24, 2022, when the Russian Federation's military invasion of Ukraine began, to midnight (local time) on August 20, 2022, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) recorded 10,308 casualties among the country's civilian population: 4,597 dead and 5,711 wounded," the message reads. According to the UN, among the dead: 1,775 men, 1,186 women, 128 girls and 144 boys, as well as 41 children and 1,323 adults, whose gender is still unknown. Injured: 1159 men, 810 women, 127 girls and 168 boys, as well as 176 children and 3271 adults, whose gender is unknown. As noted in the UN, most people died from explosive weapons with a wide area of defeat – heavy artillery, rocket systems of salvo fire, rockets and airstrikes. Since February of this year, law enforcement officers have discovered 1,332 bodies of civilians killed by the Russian occupiers in the Kyiv region. Commenting on these events, the head of the police of the Kyiv region, Andriy Nebytov, noted that, unfortunately, the bodies of the murdered people are still there, most of whom were killed with small arms, or automatic weapons, or snipers, the last burial was discovered in August 2022 – 7 people were executed. The victims were shot both in the knees and the head. All identified killed persons turned out to be civilians. The police of the Kyiv region have already registered over 3,000 criminal proceedings, based on the facts of serious and especially serious crimes committed by Russian servicemen.