Attachments
Summary
In the present conference room paper, the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine concludes that Russian armed forces have committed the crimes against humanity of murder and the war crimes of attacking civilians, through a months-long pattern of drone attacks targeting civilians on the right bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Province, in Ukraine. It also found that these acts were committed with the primary purpose to spread terror among the civilian population, in violation of international humanitarian law.
Since July 2024, Russian military drone operators based on the opposite side of the river have systematically struck civilian persons, in various circumstances, mainly outdoors, while on foot or using transport. They also targeted ambulances, which have special protection under international humanitarian law, often preventing them from reaching the victims.
The Commission documented drone attacks against civilians in Kherson city and 16 other localities stretching over 100 kilometres in river front areas under Ukrainian Government control. The attacks are continuing at the time of the publication of this paper.
So far, almost 150 civilians have been killed and hundreds more have been injured, according to official sources.
In its investigations, the Commission interviewed over 90 residents of the affected areas in Kherson Province, including victims and witnesses, geolocated over 120 publicly disseminated videos of attacks, collected official documents, and reviewed hundreds of additional videos and text posts available on open sources.
The perpetrators used civilian drones, widely commercially available, that they weaponized to drop explosives on targets. They also used suicide drones that explode upon impact. The drone operators are able to track and aim at targets remotely via an embedded camera.
Several Russian Telegram channels with links to the perpetrating military units, some of them with thousands of followers, have disseminated hundreds of videos of the attacks from the original feeds of the drones. The footage posted shows that the perpetrators could clearly see the victims and leaves no doubt that they intended to target civilians. The same Telegram channels have regularly uploaded threatening text announcing further attacks in a wide geographic area, to which they refer as a “red zone”.
The individual drone attacks amount to the war crimes of intentionally directing attacks against civilians. The recurrence of these attacks for over 10 months, against multiple civilian targets and in a wide geographic area, demonstrates that they are widespread and systematic and have been planned and organised, requiring the mobilisation and allocation of necessary resources. These and other elements led the Commission to conclude that Russian armed forces carried out drone attacks targeting civilians pursuant to an organisational policy and committed murder as a crime against humanity.
The Commission further found that Russian armed forces and those supporting them have committed acts or threats of violence for the primary purpose to spread terror among the civilian population in the targeted areas of Kherson Province, in violation of international humanitarian law. The nature and broad range of the attacks, their specific civilian targets, their frequency, intensity, geographic spread, the circumstances in which they occur, have led to pervasive fear within the population. The public dissemination of videos of attacks and threatening text announcing further attacks in the above-mentioned area referred to as a “red zone”, have exacerbated the fear of the population. A resident of Kherson Province who witnessed eight drone attacks stated “they want to inflict horror on the city”. The posting on Russian Telegram channels of videos of civilians being killed and injured amounts to the war crime of outrages upon personal dignity.
In the Commission’s view, the conduct of the perpetrators may amount to the crime against humanity of forcible transfer of population. The widespread and systematic character of the attacks, the terror instilled within the population, and the ensuing coercive environment, have compelled thousands to flee. In addition to attacking civilian persons, drones have repeatedly targeted civilian objects and infrastructure, all means of transport, and emergency and rescue services. The damage and destruction of houses, the absence or limitation of services, essential infrastructure, and transport, have rendered the affected areas unliveable and left many residents with no other choice than to seek safer locations. These elements combined suggest a coordinated state policy, on the part of the Russian authorities, to force the population to leave.
The Commission also examined allegations by Russian authorities of drone attacks by Ukrainian armed forces against civilian targets in Kherson Province. However, it was unable to corroborate them because of lack of cooperation by Russian authorities.