With Russian hostilities raging, the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has announced that it will seek approval to launch an investigation into allegations of war crimes in Ukraine.
Prosecutor Karim Khan had on Friday expressed concern over the Russian invasion of Ukraine and said the ICC may investigate allegations of war crimes that have arisen in the current crisis.
"The next step is to proceed with the process of seeking and securing authorization from the Court's Pre-Trial Chamber to start the investigation," the office of the ICC prosecutor, based in The Hague, said.
That Russia used the banned cluster bombs in Ukraine on civilian areas in eastern Ukraine is denounced by Amnesty International which could be the subject of a "war crime" investigation.
Kharkiv the second largest city in Ukraine being pounded by the Russians was attacked by a large-scale military operation in which Russia bombed civilians with the death toll so far reaching eleven.
According to the London-based NGO, a kindergarten where civilians had taken refuge in Okhtirka, in northeastern Ukraine, was hit on Friday morning by these weapons, which were banned in 2010 by an international treaty (the Oslo Convention) that neither Moscow nor Kiev has signed. Three civilians, including a child, were killed and another child was wounded, Amnesty International said in a statement.The NGO said that "the attack appears to have been carried out by Russian forces operating at close range, who have a habit of using cluster weapons in populated areas."
To be investigated as a war crime
Amnesty International is relying on drone video images taken at the scene showing that cluster weapons hit the building or the area around it in at least seven places. The NGO also obtained 65 photographs and additional video from a local source.
"Nothing justifies the use of cluster weapons in populated areas, let alone near a school. This attack bears all the hallmarks of Russia's use of this weapon, which strikes blindly and is banned internationally, and shows a blatant disregard for civilian lives," said Anies Kayamar, Amnesty International's secretary general.
"It is simple, it should be investigated as a war crime," she continued. The NGO Human Rights Watch and the investigative website Bellingcat also say they have evidence of the use of cluster weapons in civilian zones in Ukraine after recovering images and videos. According to Human Rights Watch, one attack took place near a hospital in Vulendar, eastern Ukraine, on 24 February. This attack killed four civilians and injured ten, while the hospital and an ambulance were damaged.
Indeed, today's attack is indicative of the Russian President's change in tactics with rockets hitting multiple targets. A military source speaking to the Daily Mail said that videos show that "cluster munitions" were also used. As the same source explained, "The BM-21 Grad is a multi-launch rocket system used to fire multiple rockets and is mainly used on enemy troops before an attack. Its use against civilians is not only a war crime but its sole purpose is to spread terror among the civilian population."
Images and videos that made the rounds on the internet today depicted streets littered with bodies of dead and severely injured civilians, and show spent BM-21 Grad rocket cartridges littering the streets and falling through the roofs of apartments.
Analysts have warned that the current exploratory talks in Belarus could spark an increase in violence as Putin increasingly deploys heavy weaponry compared to early conflicts in an attempt to impose a victory he could not achieve with more limited military operations inside.
Fears for Kiev
At the same time, there are fears that Kiev could soon come under a fierce attack from the Russians. Russia used similar tactics in Syrian cities while fighting alongside Bashar al-Assad before its forces heavily bombed them. Russian armored vehicles are currently trying to surround and cut off Kiev from the west.
What are cluster bombs
Cluster bombs carry small bombs that are programmed to explode in the air (in-flash) or on the ground (cruise) or after a period of time (slow-flash) as mines. For example, the CBU-87 cluster bomb, which is widely used in NATO operations, contains 202 bombs that are dispersed in the surrounding area. Each will explode, hurling approximately 300 fragments capable of penetrating light armor.
The unexploded bombs are seeded into the ground and detonate in unsuspected time, causing serious injuries and deaths. These munitions therefore fall into the same category as mines in terms of post-war casualties.
Clearing the area of unexploded ordnance (UXO) is extremely arduous because they are small in size and can still be found hanging from trees or rooftops and fall to the ground and people much later.
Source: protothema.gr
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