By Wendell Roelf and Emma Farge
GENEVA (Reuters) – Arbitrary detentions of civilians have become widespread in parts of Ukraine controlled by Russian military forces and affiliated armed groups, with 270 cases documented, the United Nations Human Rights Representative said on Tuesday. fair, announcing plans to boost monitoring in the country.
The conclusions are based on information from field visits by monitors and interviews conducted with just over 500 victims and witnesses of human rights violations, as well as other data sources, said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet in the Human Rights Council of the entity in Geneva.
“Despite restrictions on access, we have 270 documented cases of arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances. Eight of the victims were found dead,” Bachelet said in an update on the situation in Ukraine between February 24 and May 15.
In a speech at the same session, Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova accused Russia of kidnappings on a “gigantic” scale, including that of Kherson Mayor Ihor Kolykhayev, and called for his immediate and unconditional release.
Russian delegate Evgeny Ustinov said Bachelet’s report was part of a disinformation campaign against his country aimed at “covering up the crimes of the Kiev regime”. Moscow has deliberately denied attacks on civilians since the invasion began on February 24.
Russian forces hit targets in Ukraine’s eastern region of Donetsk on Tuesday to prepare an expected armed offensive in search of more territory as the five-month war enters a new phase.
(Reporting by Wendell Roelf and Emma Farge)
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