Amnesty International accuses Russia of “a flagrant violation of international law” in Ukraine. The human rights organization “has demonstrated indiscriminate attacks on hospitals, residential areas and kindergartens, as well as the use of prohibited cluster munitions”, explained Markus N. Beeko, Secretary General of Amnesty International in Germany, on the occasion of the presentation of the annual report published on Tuesday. They are war crimes.
Janine Uhlmannsiek, Ukraine expert at the human rights organization, also warns that the situation could get worse. The Russian military “was already known for human rights violations in other conflicts. A similar pattern will also occur in Ukraine, which could lead to a further worsening of the situation,” said Uhlmannsiek.
Uhlmannsiek added that even before Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine began four and a half weeks ago, restrictions on freedom of expression, association and assembly became apparent in Russia. “The situation in Russia was scary even before that. Since the beginning of the invasion, however, the whole thing has taken on a completely different dimension,” says the expert.
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In the annual report, however, Amnesty accused the international community of failing to respond adequately to other conflicts around the world. A climate prevails “in which violations of international humanitarian law and the most serious violations of human rights have not been sanctioned by the international community of states – not in Yemen, Syria or the African continent”.
“The reaction of the international community to many trouble spots around the world has been insufficient or very hesitant in the past year,” said Beeko. Due to economic or political power interests, States often avoid demanding compliance with international and human rights at an early stage.
As a rule, accountability under international law for injustices committed has fallen by the wayside, criticized Amnesty. Institutions such as criminal courts have often been obstructed or even weakened. “The behavior of the Russian government shows in the most dramatic way the consequences of such a worldwide evasion,” explained Beeko.
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01:12 – Kremlin on refused ruble payments: not benefactors
After the EU refused to pay for gas supplies in rubles, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced possible further measures from Russia. “No pay – no gasoline,” Peskow said, according to state news agency TASS on Monday night in an interview with US television network PBS. Moscow wants to wait for the EU’s response and then determine next steps. “But we definitely don’t intend to present ourselves as benefactors and deliver free gas to Western Europe,” Peskov said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s confidant has accused the West of unleashing an all-out economic war against Russia. “Unfortunately, these circumstances are extremely hostile,” Peskov said of the sanctions. This has brought us to the point of “total war”. “And we in Russia feel this war in such a way that the countries of Western Europe, the US, Canada and Australia are waging a real war on trade, on the economy, they are confiscating our property, our money and blocking our finances.” Peskov complained. “And now we must adapt to the new reality.”
Putin had ordered last week that natural gas could only be delivered to “hostile” states like Germany if payment was made in rubles. This has already been rejected by some heads of state and government with reference to breach of contract.
12:32 – EU states advise citizens not to participate in Ukraine war
In a joint statement, Germany and six other EU countries advised their citizens not to travel to Ukraine as volunteer fighters. Justice ministers from Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Spain signed an appeal to that effect after a meeting on Monday. “Of course we want to prevent people from traveling to a theater of war,” French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said after a meeting with his EU colleagues in Brussels.
In late February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi announced the creation of an “international legion” within the Ukrainian armed forces to fight the Russian onslaught. In early February, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said 20,000 foreign fighters, mostly from European countries, had volunteered.
12:00 – Dahmen (Greens) – Include refugees in statutory KV
Green Party health politician Janosch Dahmen calls for war refugees to be included in mandatory health insurance. This should be done “as soon as possible”, says Dahmen of the Germany editorial network (Tuesday editions) according to a preliminary report. Current assistance is administratively complex and medically insufficient. Dahmen is also in favor of a limited professional license for Ukrainian doctors and nurses who fled to Germany: “It is urgently needed that medical professionals can work here, at least to some extent, in caring for other refugees.”
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23:20 – Ukrainian Telecommunications Group – Internet failure due to cyber attack
According to company and government representatives, there was a serious cyber attack on the Ukrainian state telecommunications group Ukrtelecom. The hacker’s attack has been repelled and Internet access is gradually being restored, says a spokesperson for Ukrtelecom. The NetBlocks observatory had previously reported that network connections across the country had collapsed.
10:55 pm – E.ON boss warns of the consequences for the economy of a natural gas stop
The head of energy group E.ON, Leonhard Birnbaum, warns of the consequences for the economy if Russia cuts off energy supplies and supplies in Germany have to be prioritized. “It could be that a car factory will soon be missing the chip, but the steering stem, because the steel producer has not been given gas to treat the steering stem,” he tells ARD. Birnbaum speaks of a “scenario that would result in massive damage to the German economy”. Sufficient independence from the Russian power supply could probably be achieved within three years. “With oil it could be in a year, with coal maybe even faster.” With natural gas, however, it takes longer.