Russia-Ukraine war: Russian forces gathering in the south but unclear why, UK intelligence warns – live
UK’s Ministry of Defence says troop build-up could be in anticipation of Ukrainian counter-offensive or for a new assault
Oksana Pokalchuk, the head of Amnesty International’s office in Ukraine, has resigned from her role following a report published by the human rights organisation which accused the Ukrainian military of breaching international humanitarian law.
The report, which has been criticised by Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, as well as western diplomats, including the British and US ambassadors to Ukraine, accused the Ukrainian military of putting civilians at risk by positioning themselves in residential areas such as empty schools or civilian buildings, meaning Russia will target urban areas risking civilian lives in the crossfire.
Announcing her resignation via Facebook, Pokalchuk said she held meetings with Amnesty International to discuss what they were going to publish but said that her input was “deleted” and replaced with what the organisation published in its report on Thursday.
“If you don’t live in a country invaded by invaders and are tearing it to pieces, you probably don’t understand what it’s like to condemn an army of defenders. And there are no words in any language that can convey this to someone who has not felt this pain,” Pokalchuk said
The report has since been used by Kremlin-directed Russian media as a way to evidence their false claims that Russian forces are only going after military targets in Ukraine.
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