Amnesty International (AI) on Thursday blamed Russian forces for the deaths of 21 civilians in an attack last week on an apartment block and a hotel in the southern Ukrainian coastal town of Serhiivka.
After midnight on July 1, the Russian forces launched at least two missiles heading to the hotel in Serviivka, a city on the Black Sea about 45 miles (72 kilometers) southwest of the city of Odessa, concluded a new investigation by AI, which visited the site.
The first missile hit the Hotel Godji, where killed six civiliansamong them the director of the hotel, Nadiya Rudnitskaya, her 12-year-old son, as well as two other women who had fled from Sloviansk, in the Donbass region.
Minutes later, a second missile hit Budzhaska Street near a nine-story residential building, killing 15 civilians.
Valentyna, the sister of Tetiana Chulak, one of the fatal victims of the attack, told Amnesty International: “I ran into the building and found Tetiana in bed, dead, covered with crushed furniture and debris, and her husband Volodymyr was dead. in the kitchen. . Her son Mykhaylo was on the terrace and was directly hit by the missile.”
The attacks also injured 35 people, of whom five were in serious condition.
According to AI, local government officials confirmed that the weapons used in the attack corresponded to two Kh-22 missiles, that is, 900-kilogram devices with a guidance system designed to hit warships, whose fragments were also found in the attack. place of attack. attack
“These powerful weapons were designed to destroy warships and firing them into residential areas is extremely reckless,” said Donatella Rovera, AI Senior Crisis Response Advisor.
“This attack is further proof of the total Russian Armed Forces Disrespect Civilians in Ukraineas they continue to cause needless death and destruction,” he continued.
In a statement, the organization recalled that, in light of intentional humanitarian law, the warring parties have an obligation to distinguish between civilians and the military, and it is illegal to attack the life or property of civilians.
In Serviivka, AI said it had found no evidence of the presence of valid Ukrainian soldiers, weapons or other military objectives in the vicinity.
So far, there have been a number of illegal attacks carried out by Russian troops in which civilians have been killed or injured, some of which may have been committed deliberately.
“How many more civilians have to die before there is justice and accountability for these crimes? The Russian forces responsible for these continuing and serious violations of international humanitarian law must be held accountable for their actions, and the victims and their families must receive full reparation,” Rovera concluded.
On February 24, Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine, condemned by most of the international community, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and tightening economic and political sanctions on Moscow.
Source: Observadora
