Geneva, Jan. 3, (dpa/GNA) – The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called on Russia and Ukraine to exercise restraint in view of the recent mutual attacks with civilian casualties.
“Alarming escalation of hostilities, dozens of civilians killed in #Ukraine & #Russia,” his office wrote on the online platform X, formerly Twitter, late on Tuesday evening.
International humanitarian law prohibits indiscriminate attacks and attacks on civilians. In order to protect the civilian population and comply with international law, the office called for “immediate steps to de-escalate, ensure protection of civilians & respect int’l law.”
The number of Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine has recently increased. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia has fired hundreds of missiles and drones over the past five days, killing or injuring numerous people.
Russian authorities said 24 civilians were killed by Ukrainian fire in the Russian city of Belgorod over the weekend – the largest such loss for Russia in almost two years of war. Russian President Vladimir Putin subsequently announced intensified attacks on Ukraine.
Russia has been waging its war on Ukraine for almost two years. With the series of heavy aerial bombardments at night since before the New Year, the Russian army has demonstrated that it can bombard every corner of the neighbouring country.