There was an abundance of reports of (suspected or proven) human rights abuses on Russia’s side ever since the start of the war in 2022.
For example, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine’s (HRMMU) December 2024 memo highlighted the “persistent suffering of civilians and prisoners of war (POWs) while Russia continues to expand its control over occupied territories”. The document goes on to describe the “bleak human rights situation” in the country, listing Russia’s crimes and unforgiveable deeds in great detail, with descriptions and testimonies from the victims.
In June 2024, the European Court of Human Rights unanimously found Russia responsible for a range of human rights abuses in Crimea since the beginning of 2014,
When it comes to the actions of the Ukrainian side, the reports are more ‘reserved’.
While the HRMMU’s 2024 report acknowledges mistreatment of Russian POWs, it claims that those instances “appear” more isolated compared to the widespread torture of Ukrainian prisoners. There was at least one confirmed case of a Russian POW being executed (two more cases are under investigation). As a proof of the worsening of the situation, the latest reports reveal that half of the interviewed Russian POWs reported abuse, including torture and ill-treatment.
The State Department’s 2023 country report listed ‘enforced disappearance, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, harsh and life-threatening prison conditions, arbitrary arrest or detention, serious problems with the independence of the judiciary, restrictions on freedom of expression, serious government corruption’ and many other forms of human rights violations.
To ensure that its authorities and soldiers were exempt of investigation, the Ukrainian parliament ratified the Rome Statute of the ICC on August 21, 2024, but didn’t accept the court’s jurisdiction for a period of seven years, “when, likely, the crime was committed by its citizens”.
Understand: Ukraine granted a ‘blank get out of jail’ card for its citizens to commit atrocities ‘in the heat of the war’. As police response is often inadequate, and investigations into crimes against journalists and human rights activists often do not result in convictions, and “impunity for torture is widespread”, the likelihood of successful prosecution is minimal.
Since the introduction of Martial Law, journalists have reported surveillance and pressure from authorities, including intimidation or the tapping of phones.
While the circumstances might not be ideal, this doesn’t change the fact that Ukraine had little progress on improving the situation of its LGBTQI minority or on fighting against gender-based violence.
Kyiv has also restricted the rights to freedom of expression and religion, while “prosecutions continued against conscientious objectors of compulsory military service”. Drafting had been a contentious issue ever since the start of the war, but as the country starts to ‘run out’ of military-age population, there are widespread stories about forced conscriptions, beatings and violence. Several reports detail how men are literally kidnapped from the streets by “conscription squads” who act like “bandits”.
And, as the latest development, the Verkhovna Rada (the country’s parliament) passed a bill to suspend Ukraine’s participation the Ottawa Convention banning anti-personnel mines.
The reasoning? “Russia uses anti-personnel mines extremely cynically”.
The classic argument of “eye for eye”, long replaced by more humane considerations. And if anything, it’s depriving Ukraine of the moral high ground it claims to occupy vis-à-vis Russia.
The country’s Freedom House rating is “party free” and somewhere from 60 to 62 on the NGO’s 100-point scale.
Not necessarily the poster child of democracy – and with every new development one step farther from the principles governing the European Union. Not to mention the other reform requirements (e.g. significant reforms in governance, rule of law and economic policies), outlined on June 25, 2024, during the first Intergovernmental Conference.
