OHCHR: Report on the Human Rights Situation in Ukraine (1 March – 31 May 2024)

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation and subsequent hostilities continued to have a devastating impact on the civilian population in the period between 1 March and 31 May 2024.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) documented that the cross-border offensive by Russian armed forces in Kharkiv region alone resulted in 78 civilians killed and 305 injured between 10 and 31 May. Increased use of powerful air-dropped bombs with a larger range by Russian armed forces was a significant reason for the rise in civilian casualties and massive destruction of civilian infrastructure in frontline communitites.

Russian armed forces resumed attacks against energy infrastructure in the reporting period – the most extensive since the winter of 2022-2023. Five waves of such attacks resulted in civilian casualties and significant power cuts for millions of people across the country, with cascading effects on water supply, mobile and internet connectivity, and public transportation. The cumulative impact of these sustained attacks on energy infrastructure could potentially deprive the civilian population of services necessary for its survival, particularly when the winter season starts.

OHCHR documented five instances where high-precision munitions struck the same location or target in Government-controlled territory twice within a short interval of time, resulting in the death or injury of emergency workers, police officers, paramedics, and other civilian first responders aiding victims of the first impact, raising specific concerns under international humanitarian law (IHL).

Russian authorities in occupied territory appeared to increase pressure on residents to obtain Russian citizenship. In the reporting period, dozens of people who had left occupied territory, many of them older persons, cited lack of access to medical care without Russian citizenship as one of their main reasons for leaving. Parents also described increased pressure to obtain Russian citizenship for school-aged children.

OHCHR continued to document the widespread use of torture and ill-treatment, including sexual violence, against civilians and Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) held by the Russian Federation. OHCHR also documented the continued efforts of family members to obtain information about the fate and whereabouts of civilian detainees and POWs in captivity.

Full text of the Report on the Human Rights Situation in Ukraine (1 March – 31 May 2024)