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7 civilians were killed and 47 others were injured, due to Russian bombing attack against several cities in Ukraine for two consecutive days, as a reaction, international organizations condemned these bombings
The Russian bombing killed 3 people following because of an attack against a hotel in the city of Kryvyi Rei (central Ukraine), which killed an elderly man in the city of Nikopol.
What happened in Ukraine in two days?
Russia launched missile and drone strikes targeting several cities in Ukraine, in an attack that is considered as the heaviest air since the invasion in 2022, as Moscow launched from several directions and at different speeds and altitudes 127 missiles and 109 drones, reaching 15 regions in Ukraine out of 24.
Kiev said it had taken control of 100 Russian settlements and more than 1,294 km of Russian territory after incursions that began three weeks ago.
Russia has repeatedly denied targeting civilians and said its “high-precision strikes” even though they have hit Ukraine’s energy infra-structure, including the Kiev hydroelectric station.
The International Atomic Energy Agency declared that bombardment between Russia and Ukraine threatened the Kursk nuclear locates near the western Russian town of Kurchatov, which lacks a protective dome to defend it from missiles.
International condemnations
The UN humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine condemned the Russian strikes, which he called “deadly”.
Matthias Shamali, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine, said on August 26, 2024, “Like millions of people in Ukraine, I spent hours in a shelter this morning because of the ongoing attacks on Ukraine by the Russian armed forces.”
In a related context, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) indicated that children and their parents in Kiev took refuge in metro stations as the city was increasingly alert to the risk of airstrikes, and in another publication, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) called on central and local authorities to ensure that the return of all evacuees to Ukraine complies with established protocol, child protection standards and UN guidelines on alternative care for children.
Save the Children report revealed that two-thirds of children in Ukrainian frontline cities cannot go to school but receive distance education which is suffering due to the war
Of the 334 children surveyed in six regions close to the frontline or border between Ukraine and Russia, 221 (64%) reported that they could only join classes online, while only 15% attended the school in person, and 17% used a combination of the two processes.
Russia’s war against Ukraine has caused suffering to the Ukrainian people, with thousands of civilians losing their lives, destroying homes, hospitals and schools, wiping out entire neighborhoods and villages, forcing millions to flee their homes, and committing summary executions, torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention and sexual violence with complete impunity.
According to article 27 of the Geneva Convention regarding the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949, protected persons in all circumstances have the right to respect for their persons, honor, family rights, religious beliefs, customs and traditions. They must be always treated humanely, and particularly protected against all acts of violence or threats.
Article 24 of the Geneva Convention also includes that parties to the conflict shall take the necessary measures to ensure that children under fifteen years of age who have been orphaned or separated from their families by war are not neglected and that their maintenance, practicing and education are in all circumstances facilitated. If possible, their education shall be entrusted to persons belonging to the same cultural traditions.
According to UNHCR, the primary responsibility for respecting and protecting civilians (in situations of armed conflict) rests with states and armed groups. This involves taking all feasible precautions to limit the impact of hostilities on them.
Same Justice Human Rights recalls that civilians must be protected, and all their rights preserved in Ukrainian cities, especially children, and stresses the need to punish the perpetrators of war crimes against humanity which it considers to be the most serious crimes in international law, with avoiding crimes, protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, and strengthening international peace and security.
