Larisa Kozova17:11, 13.06.24

This is the conclusion reached by Global Rights Compliance lawyers, who work together with the government of Ukraine.

Lawyers conducted research that showed that in February 2022, the Kremlin, seeking to capture Ukrainian Mariupol, applied “starvation tactics” to the population – the invaders wanted to cause as much damage as possible .

As The Guardian reports , according to a new analysis presented to the International Criminal Court, during the 85-day siege of Mariupol in early 2022, the Russian Federation used a “deliberate pattern” of hunger strike tactics, which is tantamount to a war crime.

This is the conclusion reached by Global Rights Compliance lawyers, who work together with the government of Ukraine. As noted, in the materials submitted to the court in The Hague, Russia and its leaders sought to kill and harm as many civilians as possible.

“Lawyers have established that 22,000 people died during the siege and capture of Mariupol at the beginning of the war (a full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation – UNIAN). Civilians were left without water, gas and electricity for several days after the siege, as the temperature dropped below minus 10°C “, – writes The Guardian.

Catriona Murdoch, Global Rights Compliance spokeswoman, said the aim of the study was to “find out if there is a wider version” of the deliberate denial of food and other essentials for human survival by the Russian military and its leadership.

“We could see that the Russian attack consisted of four stages: starting with attacks on civilian infrastructure and ending with the blackout of electricity, heating and water. Then humanitarian evacuation was refused and even attacked (people – UNIAN), and aid was not delivered.” , – said Murdoch.

According to her, at the third stage, critical infrastructure was the target of the attack, the civilian population was terrorized “with the help of aid”, and water points were bombed.

“Finally, in the fourth stage, Russia launched strategic attacks aimed at destroying or capturing the remaining infrastructure facilities,” the lawyer said.

According to Murdoch, the staged attack on Mariupol demonstrated that Russia planned to capture the frontline city without sparing its civilian population, estimated at 450,000 as of February 2022.

The dossier concludes that about 90% of medical facilities and residential buildings in the city were destroyed or damaged during the siege. In addition, food distribution points and humanitarian evacuation routes were bombed.

“The blame for the death of thousands of civilians is placed at the very top… (the authorities of the Russian Federation – UNIAN). Vladimir Putin and the echelons of the Russian military leadership are to blame,” Murdoch notes.

Russian crimes in Mariupol

In 2022, the Russian occupying forces destroyed or damaged 90% of the housing stock of Mariupol, Donetsk region – that’s more than 2,000 houses. There are almost no surviving houses left, and the necessary infrastructure is not restored by the invaders. According to the deputy of the Mariupol city council, Dmytro Zabavin, more than 500,000 people lived in Mariupol before the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine. Now about 100,000 residents remain there. According to the deputy, “in principle, there is no life” in Mariupol, what the Russians supposedly built there are about 35 buildings, but the number of floors of these buildings is three or four floors.

(c)UNIAN 2024