Russia has perpetrated large-scale violations of international human rights and humanitarian norms -- some of them amounting to war crimes -- since the start of its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago, the UN-backed Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said in a report released on March 16.
The report said the violations include the willful killings of unarmed civilians --which represent war crimes -- as well as torture, unlawful confinement, rape, and other forms of sexual violence, and the forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia from areas under Moscow's control.
The commission also said that Russia's wave of large-scale attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure that started in October and led to large parts of Ukraine and millions of people being left without electricity or heating for long intervals in winter, particularly during freezing temperatures, may amount to crimes against humanity. The report said the attacks on infrastructure should be investigated further.
The commission, which consists of three independent human rights experts, was set up during an emergency debate shortly after the start of Russia's unprovoked invasion.
The report, based on hundreds of interviews, satellite photos, and visits to detention centers and graves, singled out the use of explosive weapons by Russian forces in populated areas as one of the main causes for civilian casualties, which showed "an apparent disregard for civilian harm and suffering."
The report mentions that the commission members were "struck by the extent of the destruction" they found during their visits on the ground.
The report identified "numerous" cases of rape and sexual and gender-based violence perpetrated by Russian authorities in the areas that came under their control.
Sexual violence was committed during house-to-house visits and during the unlawful detention of victims.
"Sexual violence amounting to torture and the threat of such against women and men have been important aspects of the torture exercised by Russian authorities," the report said.
The transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia "amount to war crimes," the report said, adding that many of the children were unable to make contact with their families, according to witnesses accounts, "and might lose contact with them indefinitely."
Delay in the repatriation of civilians may also amount to a war crime, it said.
The commission "also documented a small number of violations committed by Ukrainian armed forces, including likely indiscriminate attacks and two incidents qualifying as war crimes, where Russian prisoners of war were shot, wounded and tortured," the report said.
The commission's main recommendation was that "all violations and crimes be investigated and those responsible be held accountable, either at the national or the international level."
The report, which amounted to a highly unusual condemnation of a member of the UN Security Council, urged that accountability for the crimes documented in the report include both criminal responsibility and "the victims’ right to truth, reparation, and non-repetition."
Russia has repeatedly denied committing atrocities or targeting civilians in Ukraine despite abundant evidence to the contrary.