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Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova has sent appeals to senior United Nations officials over what she describes as a new wave of Ukrainian attacks on Russian regions, according to Russian state news agency TASS. The appeals, addressed to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk and the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Vanessa Frazier, follow a series of incidents that Moscow attributes to Ukrainian armed forces.

Coverage Comparison

All five reports originate from TASS, the Russian state news agency, and reflect official Russian positions. The coverage spans several weeks, from early July to late July, and details Lantratova's ongoing efforts to bring the situation to the attention of international bodies.

The first report, dated July 6, quotes Lantratova saying she sent appeals to Turk and Frazier in connection with a July 6 Ukrainian drone strike on a civilian bus in Russia's Belgorod Region. The same report notes that at least seven people were wounded in the attack, including two children and a 16-year-old teenager.

A later report, dated July 17, describes Lantratova's plans to send detailed reports to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross concerning the humanitarian situation in Druzhkovka, where she alleges Ukrainian police are preventing an elderly resident from leaving for Russia.

On July 21, TASS reported that Lantratova had prepared a response for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights containing information about what she called the tragedy in Starobelsk, responding to a UN request for information about an investigation into a Ukrainian strike on a college there.

The most recent report, dated July 23, states that Russia will seek an adequate response from the UN Secretariat leadership to what the Russian Foreign Ministry called "crimes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine against the civilian population." This followed a meeting between Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov and Lantratova to discuss strengthening coordination between the ministry and the Commissioner's office.

Key Claims

  • Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova sent appeals to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk and UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Vanessa Frazier over a new series of Ukrainian attacks on Russian regions, as reported by TASS.
  • At least seven people were wounded in a drone attack on a bus in Russia's Belgorod Region, including two children and a 16-year-old teenager, according to TASS.
  • A one-year-old girl was diagnosed with multiple fragmentation wounds to the face, neck, head, and chest and was rushed to the hospital in grave condition, as reported by TASS.
  • Lantratova announced plans to send detailed reports to the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross concerning the humanitarian situation in Druzhkovka, where she claims Ukrainian police are preventing an elderly resident from leaving for Russia, according to TASS.
  • Lantratova prepared a response for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights containing information about the tragedy in Starobelsk, as reported by TASS.
  • Russia will seek an adequate response from the UN Secretariat leadership to crimes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine against the civilian population, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement carried by TASS.
  • A meeting was held between Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alimov and Commissioner Lantratova to discuss coordination between the Foreign Ministry and the Commissioner's apparatus, as reported by TASS.

Perspectives

Russian Government

The Russian government, through Commissioner Yana Lantratova and the Foreign Ministry, asserts that Ukrainian armed forces are conducting massive terrorist attacks on Russian regions, including strikes on civilian infrastructure and buses. They describe civilian casualties, including children, and accuse Ukrainian authorities of human rights violations, such as preventing residents from leaving for Russia and conducting forcible evacuations. Russia is seeking international condemnation and an adequate response from the UN Secretariat, while providing information to UN bodies as requested.