Peter Kenny |04.03.2022 | GENEVA (updated : 6 March-3-2022
The head of the International Red Cross called on the parties to the Russia-Ukraine war to fulfil their legal obligations to avoid “further civilian suffering and loss of life.” According to UN figures, 249 civilians have been killed and 553 injured in Ukraine since the start of Russia’s war on Moscow on Feb. 24. Ukrainian authorities, however, put the death toll at over 2,000. Maurer said that the Geneva Conventions and their First Additional Protocol are “fully applicable” in the international armed conflict taking place in Ukraine. ‘People desperate for safety’ : “ICRC teams are receiving a flood of calls from people desperate for safety,” said Maurer. “Casualty figures keep rising while health facilities struggle to cope. Civilians staying in underground shelters tell us that they fled shells falling directly overhead. They have no extra clothes, supplies or their needed medication. They need assistance now,” he said. He also said that the conventions call for access to health care, safety of medical workers, and the return of “mortal remains.” “The sick and wounded must be cared for, regardless of whose side they are on. Medical workers, medical vehicles and hospitals dedicated to humanitarian work cannot be attacked.” 1.5M people fled Ukraine since war began: UN refugee head Flood of people fleeing Ukraine is ‘fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II,’ says Filippo Grandi ISTANBUL : More than 1.5 million refugees have fled Ukraine into neighboring countries since the war began on Feb. 24, the top UN refugee official said. According to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) figures, as of March 5, at least 351 civilians have been killed and 707 others injured in Ukraine since Russia launched the war on its neighbor. Among the 351 killed were 41 women and 22 children, according to the UN.
(Courtesy Anadolu News Agency)