The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights on Thursday warned the international community of the nuclear threat to “all of humanity” following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
• Read also – Russian forces take Kherson, exodus accelerates ahead of talks
• Read also – [EN DIRECT] 8th day of war in Ukraine: here are all the developments
“The Russian Federation’s military attack on Ukraine has opened a new and dangerous chapter in world history,” Michelle Bachelet told the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva. .
“The raising of the nuclear weapons alert level underlines the seriousness of the risks facing all of humanity,” she added.
A few days after the start of the invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to “put the deterrent forces of the Russian army on special combat alert”, triggering the strongest Western protests.
The 47 member states of the HRC are meeting for an urgent debate on the war in Ukraine, at the request of Kyiv, which has drawn up a draft resolution calling for an international investigation.
Mrs. Bachelet deplored the terrible consequences of the Russian invasion on the population in Ukraine.
“The attack that began on February 24 is having a huge impact on the human rights of millions of people across Ukraine,” she said.
According to the latest UN count, the death toll from the conflict in Ukraine is 230 civilians killed, including 15 children, and 525 injured, but Ms Bachelet warned that the real figures were much higher.
“Most civilian casualties were caused by heavy artillery, multiple rocket launcher systems and airstrikes in populated areas” and there are “disturbing reports of the use of slot weapons -ammunition striking civilian targets,” noted Ms. Bachelet.
The urgent debate was won in a vote by Ukraine on Monday, backed by a broad coalition of countries that denounce the war launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
At the end of the discussions which should continue on Friday, Ukraine intends to adopt a resolution calling for “the rapid and verifiable withdrawal of Russian troops from all of the internationally recognized territory of Ukraine”, and asking for the establishment of emergency for an initial period of one year “an independent international commission of inquiry”, as there is for Syria.
Some NGOs would have liked the text to also denounce the human rights situation in Russia, and call for Russia’s exclusion from the Human Rights Council.