Russia forces have used drones to chase civilians from their homes near the front line in Ukraine, following them with cameras and attacking them as they sought shelter, a UN inquiry released on October 27 found.
The report, which is to be presented to the UN General Assembly this week, said the attacks “amount to the crime against humanity of forcible transfer of population."
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine said the drone attacks were carried out to drive civilians from their homes in three regions in southern Ukraine, near the front line, and across the Dnieper River from Russian forces, over a period of more than a year.
"Russian authorities have systematically coordinated actions to drive out Ukrainian civilians from their place of residence by drone attacks, as well as deportations and transfers," the probe said.
The report based its findings on interviews with 226 people including victims, witnesses, aid workers, local authorities, and hundreds of verified online videos. Some of the survivors interviewed by UN investigators said they felt "hunted."
The commission, established by the UN Human Rights Council shortly after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, in May determined that Russia's drone attacks targeting civilians along a 100-kilometer stretch on the right bank of the Dnieper River in the Kherson region constituted murder as a crime against humanity.
The latest report extends the scope of those conclusions to a 300-kilometer stretch of Ukrainian-held territory across the Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, and Mykolayiv regions as part of a coordinated policy to drive out civilians.
"For over one year, Russian armed forces have been directing drone attacks against an extensive range of civilian targets," the report said, including people, houses or buildings, humanitarian distribution points, and critical energy infrastructure," the new report said.
Operating under a centralized command, Russian troops "intentionally target civilians and civilian objects and cause harm and destruction," it said.
"They even hit first responders," the commission said, including ambulance crews and firefighters, sometimes repeatedly, despite clear markings on vehicles.
The commission has previously said Russia's forced transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children to areas under its control amounted to war crimes and possible crimes against humanity.
Moscow does not recognize the commission and does not answer its requests for access, information and meetings. Russia also denies intentionally targeting civilians in Ukraine despite widespread evidence to the contrary since launching its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
