On 24 March 2022, a rocket strike by the Russian Armed Forces killed 6 civilians and wounded 15 more during the battle of Kharkiv, part of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Russian Army used 9N210/9N235 cluster munition and BM-27 Uragan multiple rocket launcher in the attack.[1] Due to the indiscriminate nature of these weapons used in densely populated areas, Amnesty International described these strikes as a possible Russian war crime.[2]
| March 2022 Kharkiv cluster bombing | |
|---|---|
| Part of the bombing of Kharkiv in the Battle of Kharkiv during the Russian invasion of Ukraine | |
 Kharkiv on the map of Ukraine | |
| Location | Kharkiv, Ukraine |
| Date | 24 March 2022 |
| Target | Ukrainian civilians |
Attack type | cluster munition bombing, BM-27 Uragan |
| Deaths | 6[1] |
| Injured | 15[1] |
| Perpetrators |  Russian Armed Forces |
| Motive | Unknown |
Attack
editOn 24 March 2022, a Russian missile strike hit a shopping mall parking lot near the Akademika Pavlova metro station.[2] At the time, hundreds of people were waiting outside a post office in the mall to obtain humanitarian aid. After the strike, the people panicked and ran away from the scene of the crime.[3] Six people were killed and at least 15 further were injured.[4] A local police officer recalled that "shrapnel was falling like rain". Two further cluster bombings damaged the nearby Holy Trinity Church where volunteers were preparing humanitarian aid. Shrapnel fell through the church's wall and roof.[2]
Investigations
editAmnesty International found evidence of Russian forces repeatedly using 9N210/9N235 cluster munitions as well as scatterable mines, both of which are subject to international treaty bans - Convention on Cluster Munitions and Ottawa Treaty. Amnesty International concluded that these indiscriminate attacks, resulting in civilian deaths, are war crimes.[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Eoin McSweeney & Yulia Kesaieva (24 March 2022). "Russian attack kills 6 waiting for aid in Kharkiv, governor says". CNN. Archived from the original on 26 March 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- ^ a b c d "Ukraine: Hundreds Killed in Relentless Russian Shelling of Kharkiv". Amnesty International. June 2022. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- ^ Bobins Abraham (26 March 2022). "Russia Continues To Target Civilians, Six Killed While Waiting In Queue For Aid In Kharkiv". India Times. Archived from the original on 19 June 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
- ^ AFP (24 March 2022). "Six civilians reported killed in Russian strike near Kharkiv aid station". Times of Israel. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.