Photo:  © Amnesty International

“I was speaking to my son and telling him to leave, but he was worried about going outside. They sheltered in the basement for safety – but the bomb destroyed the middle section of the building, where the basement was.” 
Witness to air strikes on residential buildings in the town of Borodyanka, near Kyiv, on March 1 & 2, 2022

As the war rages on following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, we have documented a pattern of crimes committed by Russian forces, including unlawful attacks, wilful killings of civilians, torture, and extrajudicial executions. Take action to demand that the Russian authorities stop this act of aggression and systemic attacks on civilians now.

At 5am on the 24 February, people across Ukraine woke to the news that their country was being invaded by the Russian military. In the middle of the night, Russian tanks rolled into the country and the military attacked from multiple directions.

As the war rages on, the sheer scale of the human rights violations and war crimes is exposed with every passing day. Entire neighbourhoods have been destroyed in places like Borodyanka, through disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks, leaving thousands of people homeless. In towns like Bucha, Andriivka, Zdvyzhivka and Vorzel, our researchers collected evidence and testimony of unlawful killings, including apparent extrajudicial executions. Some victims had their hands tied behind their back, others showed signs of torture. Convoys of civilians fleeing with their children were fired upon.

Russia’s decision to use force against another state without any legal justification has unleashed a catastrophic human rights crisis on the people of Ukraine. It is also having devastating implications on the human rights of many far beyond Ukraine, affecting global food chains and driving high energy prices around the world. The Russian Federation must stop this act of aggression against Ukraine and end the pattern of war crimes. Those responsible for atrocities must be held to account in fair trials. We must use our power in numbers to call for this to stop.

Take Action and send a message to the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation. Demand that Russia stops this act of aggression and systemic attacks on civilians now.