CrimeaSOS: the occupiers did not let civilians out from the occupied Oleshky in the Kherson region

The russians prevented the evacuation and did not let civilians out from the flooded occupied city of Oleshky in the Kherson region. In addition, the russians do not evacuate from the occupied parts of the Kherson region.

After the explosion of the Kakhovka HPP dam and the subsequent flooding of part of the Kherson region, the russians did not let civilians out from the occupied Oleshky on the left bank of the region. According to available information, the occupiers shot at the boats with people who wanted to get out of the flooded areas. Many people are sitting on the roofs and top floors of buildings, without receiving any help from the occupation authorities.

Such actions of russia are evidence of another disregard for international humanitarian law. In particular, Art. 57 and Art. 58 of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions obliges the russian federation, as a party to an international armed conflict, to protect the civilian population from dangers arising from military operations.

According to CrimeaSOS analyst Yevhenii Yaroshenko, the russians violate the above provisions of international humanitarian law by preventing the rescue of civilians in the occupied territories.

“International humanitarian law states that the occupying power is obliged to protect the civilian population from the dangers arising from military operations. Thus, we may conclude that russia is obliged to create conditions under which all willing civilians would have the opportunity to evacuate to safe areas”, — believes Yevhenii Yaroshenko.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, announced the “failure” of the evacuation from the occupied left bank.

“The evacuation on the left bank was completely failed by the occupiers. We will apply to international organizations”, — was stated in his message dated June 7.

On the night of June 6, the russians blew up the Kakhovka HPP dam. As a result, dozens of settlements in southern Ukraine may be flooded. According to Oleksii Tilnenko, Head of the Board of CrimeaSOS, in this way, russia is additionally trying to hide its crimes in the south of Ukraine. 

According to Ukrainian human rights defenders, the blowing up the Kakhovka HPP dam is a serious violation of a significant number of conventional and customary norms of international humanitarian law and is definitely a war crime. This once again confirms the barbaric and criminal nature of the russian federation’s conduct of war.