UN: Russia’s drone terror against Ukrainian civilians meets threshold for crimes against humanity

Russia’s systemic drone attacks on Ukrainian civilians near the frontlines amount to crimes against humanity, according to a new United Nations’ Independent International Commission of Inquiry report on Ukraine, Sky News reports.

The UN investigation is based on more than 200 testimonies from survivors, aid workers, and witnesses that documents deliberate patterns of drone strikes that are designed to terrorize and forcibly displace civilians, especially in the southern Kherson region. 

“It (the investigation) also found that these acts were committed with the primary purpose to spread terror among the civilian population, in violation of international humanitarian law,” the commission said.

Civilians were reportedly pursued over long distances by drones equipped with cameras and, in some cases, attacked with incendiary devices or explosives while seeking shelter.

“These attacks were committed as part of a coordinated policy to drive out civilians from those territories and amount to the crime against humanity of forcible transfer of population,” the report said.

The commission’s conclusions are based on interviews with 226 people, including victims, witnesses, aid workers, and local authorities, as well as hundreds of verified videos.

Moscow denies deliberately targeting civilians in Ukraine, though Russian forces have killed thousands since launching a full-scale invasion three and a half years ago.