Grim Milestone: 1,000 Days Of Russia’s War In Ukraine
(ANALYSIS) On Feb. 24, 2022, Russia attacked Ukraine and unleashed a full-scale invasion. This invasion, which in itself is a crime of aggression, was followed by a litany of international crimes, including crimes against humanity and war crimes. Furthermore, some of the acts may meet the legal definition of genocide.
One thousand days later, the conflict rages, with an escalation being visible over recent weeks. On Nov. 17, 2024, Russia conducted the largest (in recent months) attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure across the country. Several people were killed as a result. The attack caused widespread and significant destruction, including across several major cities such as Odesa and Dnipro.
The last comparable attack happened on Aug. 28, 2024, when Russia launched 127 missiles and 109 attack drones at Ukraine. Commenting on the attack, United Nations spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said: “Attacks on energy infrastructure will only increase the suffering of civilians with the looming winter weather. Directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects is prohibited by international humanitarian law. Any such attacks are unacceptable and must end immediately.”
Further escalation is expected. On Nov. 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin lowered the threshold for a nuclear strike, following U.S. President Joe Biden's administration allowing Ukraine to use U.S.-made weapons to strike deep into Russia. On Nov. 20, the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv announced that it received specific information about a potential significant air attack on Nov. 20.
The statement added that the embassy would be closed, and embassy employees were being instructed to shelter in place. Also, only a few weeks ago, news broke of 10,000 North Korean soldiers ready for combat in Russia’s war in Ukraine, with the risk of them joining the frontline soon.
The thousand days have been marked by egregious crimes against civilians, including mass killings, rape and sexual violence, abductions of children and much more. According to the United Nations, at least 12,162 civilians, including 659 children, have been killed since February 2022, while at least 26,919 have been injured.
The true numbers are likely to be higher. Close to 20,000 children are said to have been abducted and illegally adopted. Over 3,400 schools and hospitals have been damaged or destroyed, while 10 million people have fled their homes.
Britain's Defense Secretary John Healey, Bishop of Ukraine Diocese Kenneth Nowakoski and Shadow Defense Secretary James Cartlidge visit the Ukrainian Catholic Church in central London to mark the 1,000 days since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. (Photo courtesy Catholic Church of England and Wales)
On Nov. 18, Amnesty International published a statement highlighting the ongoing plight of children in Ukraine, who continue to be killed and injured in Russian airstrikes, including in incidents which amount to war crimes. According to the statement, Amnesty International verified 17 strikes in 2024 that caused child casualties. Their field research revealed that Russian forces have deliberately targeted civilians and civilian infrastructure.
Patrick Thompson, Amnesty International’s Ukraine researcher, emphasized: “Children, as some of the most vulnerable groups in any society, enjoy special protection under international humanitarian law. Yet we continue to see them killed and injured in areas far from the frontlines, including in areas with zero military targets.”
Several organizations documenting Russia’s crimes in Ukraine suggest that 2024 has seen a significant increase in civilian casualties, including children. Similarly, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) suggests that the summer of 2024 was a particularly deadly time for children in Ukraine.
One of these attacks was on July 8, 2024, when a Russian Kh-101 cruise missile struck Okhmatdyt, a children’s hospital in Kyiv, causing massive damage, killing two people and injuring over a hundred more, including children.
Amnesty International quoted Oleg Golubchenko, a surgeon who was operating on a child at the hospital at the time of the attack, saying: “When I came back to my senses, everything around was in ruins. I was injured too — I felt warmth all over my body and saw that I was bleeding, but my arms and legs were functioning, and I was breathing. I crawled a little and saw that the child was okay, although the equipment was destroyed.”
One issue must be made clear: Such attacks are crimes under international law and violations of international humanitarian law. Direct attacks on civilians or civilian objects are war crimes. Indiscriminate attacks are a violation of international humanitarian law. Indiscriminate strikes that kill or injure civilians constitute war crimes. All those responsible for crimes under international law must be brought to justice.
This work is already being done by domestic courts in Ukraine, but also globally — with prosecutors across several countries investigating Russia’s crimes, as well as the Office of the Prosecutor General of the International Criminal Court being fully involved.
Another issue must be made clear too: This grim milestone must be the last one. The war must end as this is the only way to prevent further civilian losses.
This piece was republished from Forbes with permission.
Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab is a human rights advocate, author and co-founder of the Coalition for Genocide Response. She’s authored the book “Never Again: Legal Responses to a Broken Promise in the Middle East” and more than 30 UN reports. She works on the topic of genocide and persecution of ethnic and religious minorities around the world. She is on X @EwelinaUO.