Half a Year of the Full-Scale War in Kharkiv and the Kharkiv Region

The Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group documents international crimes (genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes) allegedly committed by the Russian occupiers in Kharkiv and Kharkiv Region.

In this article, we publish a summary of the events that took place in Kharkiv and Kharkiv Region during the first 180 days of the full-scale Russia-Ukraine war (February 24 – August 22, 2022) and were documented by our organization. The information in this publication is approximate, based on the data we have collected and needs clarification.

A detailed description of the events for the period from February 24 to August 22, 2022 and a link to the original sources of information is contained in the daily chronicles of the events for this period.

Information collection is ongoing. We ask eyewitnesses to send us information using the attached form.

1. Location of documented episodes

In total, during the study period in Kharkiv Region, our organization documented 4,654 episodes, which can be preliminarily identified as having signs of international crimes allegedly committed by the Russian occupiers.

Kharkiv Region

2. Information on civilian casualties

During the study period in Kharkiv Region, we recorded a total of 1,930 episodes related to civilian casualties or violation of rights among the civilian population.

2.1. Information on deaths of civilians

According to the data already documented in our database, 462 episodes of civilian people deaths as a result of shelling and hostilities were recorded in Kharkiv Region (including Kharkiv) during the study period (at least 1,036 civilians died).

These data can be organized as follows:

According to the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, as of August 19, 2022, 53 children died as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation in the territory of the Kharkiv Region.

2.2. Information on the injured among the civilian population

According to the data already documented in our database, 367 episodes of civilian people injuries as a result of artillery shelling and hostilities were recorded in Kharkiv Region (including Kharkiv) during the study period (at least 1,082 civilians were injured).

These data can be organized as follows:

According to the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, as of August 19, 2022, 157 children were injured as a result of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation in the territory of the Kharkiv Region.

2.3. Information on the disappearance of civilians

According to the information already documented in our database, during the period under study, a total of 1,060 episodes of possible disappearances were recorded in Kharkiv Region (including Kharkiv), within which information on the possible disappearance of at least 1,382 people was recorded.

As previously noted in the analytical publication of the Kharkiv Human Rights Group, most people disappear under unknown circumstances. There is also a pattern: the more active hostilities in the area and the more temporarily occupied territories, the greater the number of reports of disappearances. A more detailed analysis and conclusions are contained in a special publication.

2.4. Information on rape and other human rights violations

According to the information already documented in our database, during the period under study in Kharkiv Region (including Kharkiv) the alleged facts of rape of at least two civilians were recorded.

We also managed to document in our database information on the facts of alleged violations of the rights of at least 413 civilians that took place during the study period in Kharkiv Region (including Kharkiv). We have also documented the alleged facts of forced mobilization of the population by the Russian military, mass deportation of civilians to Russia, torture and others.

3. Information on residential buildings and civilian infrastructure facilities that have been damaged as a result of hostilities

According to the data already documented in our database, during the study period at least 4,240 objects of civil infrastructure were damaged as a result of artillery shelling and hostilities in Kharkiv Region (including Kharkiv), including:

3.1. Information on residential and household buildings that have been damaged as a result of hostilities

According to the data already documented in our database, 1,409 episodes of destruction of residential and household buildings as a result of shelling and hostilities were recorded in Kharkiv Region (including Kharkiv) during the study period (at least 2,378 objects damaged).

These data can be organized as follows:

3.2. Information on buildings dedicated to education that have been damaged as a result of hostilities

According to the data already documented in our database, 203 episodes of destruction of buildings dedicated to education as a result of shelling and hostilities were recorded in Kharkiv Region (including Kharkiv) during the study period (at least 207 objects damaged).

These data can be organized as follows:

3.3. Information on hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are collected that have been damaged as a result of hostilities

According to the data already documented in our database, 46 episodes of destruction of hospitals and places where the sick and wounded are collected as a result of shelling and hostilities were recorded in Kharkiv Region (including Kharkiv) during the study period (at least 49 objects damaged).

These data can be organized as follows:

3.4. Information on business and commercial facilities that have been damaged as a result of hostilities

According to the data already documented in our database, 388 episodes of destruction of business and commercial facilities as a result of shelling and hostilities were recorded in Kharkiv Region (including Kharkiv) during the study period (at least 463 facilities damaged).

These data can be organized as follows:

4. Information on the types of events that were documented during the study period

According to the data already documented in our database, during the study period there were at least the following events, which took place in Kharkiv Region (including Kharkiv):

5. Information on documented episodes related to the work of humanitarian corridors, convoys and humanitarian aid points

According to the data documented by our organization, during the study period we managed to record at least four episodes related to the capture or attack on a humanitarian convoy, mission or corridor, as well as shelling of humanitarian aid points, which took place in Kharkiv Region (including Kharkiv).

In particular, there were reports of shelling of humanitarian aid points. On March 24, 2022, the shell hit people waiting in line for humanitarian aid at the post office (6 people were killed and 15 were injured). On March 25, 2022, the occupiers fired on the city polyclinic, where the humanitarian aid point was located (4 people were killed and 3 were injured).

It was also reported that on April 14, 2022, Russian armed forces fired on evacuation buses with civilians in the urban-type settlement of Borova, Izyum district. According to preliminary data, 7 people died and 27 were injured.

It was reported that on June 19, 2022, at about 11:30 p.m., Russian armed forces fired rockets at the town of Lyubotyn in Kharkiv district. As a result of two explosions, the school where the humanitarian aid center was located was damaged.

6. Information on documented episodes related to damage caused to fields with agricultural crops and objects of agricultural purpose

During the studied period, 36 episodes of damage to forests, fields or farmlands in the Kharkiv Region were documented in our database. Within these episodes, a total of 45 objects were recorded as damaged.

Since July 1, 2022, we have managed to record 13 episodes of damage to fields with agricultural crops. Within these episodes, the damage was caused to at least 14 separate areas of cultivated fields. In most episodes, the field with agricultural crops caught fire due to shelling and burned down in a certain area.

According to the data of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration with reference to the information of the Main Department of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine in the Kharkiv Region, since July 3, there have been 7 cases of field fires in the Kharkiv Region as a result of enemy shelling. More than 46.6 hectares of wheat and 2 hectares of barley burned in the Izyumand Chuguivdistricts.

Suspilne also reported that on July 19, the Russian occupation army fired at a harvester working in the field of the Zolochiv community. The head of the community, Viktor Kovalenko, told Suspilne about this. “A combine harvester left near the village of Ivashki to mow bread, it was hit by a helicopter. The harvester boys ran away from there, the harvester did not sustain significant damage, but the field burned down. There was somewhere around 150 hectares,” Kovalenko told Suspilne.

7. Information on documented facts that can be preliminarily qualified as international crimes allegedly committed by the Russian occupiers

During the study period we documented the following facts, which can be preliminarily qualified as international crimes, probably committed by the Russian occupiers in Kharkiv Region (including Kharkiv):

These data require clarification. The category names in the “Preliminary qualification of an event” column is in no case an accurate description of an international crime under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and is provided for information purposes only. Only the court is authorized to provide the final qualification of the event.

Conclusions

The analysis of the collected information provides grounds to claim that there were deaths and injuries of civilian people, destruction and damage of civilian objects – residential buildings and civilian infrastructure facilities—due to wilful and indiscriminate shelling.

The studieddata also provides reasons to claim alleged incidents of killings, looting, enforced disappearances, captures of civilians, violations of humanitarian corridors and attacks on humanitarian aid supplies, convoys and volunteers, and others.

In our opinion,such acts can be pre-qualified as crimes against humanity under Article 7 para. (1) (а), (d), (е), (f), (i) and as war crimes under Article 8 para. (2) (a) (i), (іі), (ііі), (iv), (v), (vii), (viii), (b) (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vii), (viii), (ix), (xvi), (xvii), (xviii), (xx), (xxii), (xxiii), (xxv).

Information collection is ongoing. If you can provide additional information, please use the form.

The author is grateful to the whole KHPG team, without the joint coordinated and dedicated work of which this summary would be impossible.