GENEVA (REUTERS) - Ukraine and its allies on Monday (Feb 28) called for a United Nations inquiry into possible war crimes committed by Russia during its actions in Ukraine.
A Ukrainian draft resolution will be considered at an urgent UN debate on Thursday.
A commission of three independent experts would investigate all alleged violations of international law in Crimea and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions since 2014 and in other areas of Ukraine since Russia's invasion last week.
Ukraine's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ms Yevheniia Filipenko, told the Human Rights Council: "Russian forces' attempt to sow panic among the population by specifically targeting kindergartens and orphanages, hospitals and mobile medical aid brigades thus committing acts that may amount to war crimes."
Ms Bathsheba Crocker, US ambassador to the UN in Geneva, said in a statement that Monday's vote showed Russia was totally isolated at the Council.
"Only four countries supported Russia's position, clearly demonstrating the international community is united in condemning Russia's egregious action," she said.
Russia's ambassador Gennady Gatilov said his country had launched "special operations to stop the tragedy" in Ukraine's breakaway Donbas region and that Russia's forces were not firing on civilian targets in Ukraine.
In response to the Russian assault, Western allies have ramped up efforts to punish Moscow by closing airspace to Russian aircraft, shutting out some banks from the Swift financial network and limiting Moscow's ability to deploy its US$630 billion (S$855 billion) foreign reserves, all measures that are expected to hammer the economy.
"There are various discussions taking place here at the Human Rights Council on this investigative mechanism. There are other engagements that we are having, including with the ICC (International Criminal Court), to ensure there is accountability for those crimes that are being committed every hour, every day on the sovereign territory of Ukraine," British minister of state, Lord Ahmad, said in Geneva.
He said Russia was increasingly isolated economically, politically and diplomatically.
"We will continue to work with our international partners to make sure that again a very clear message is given to Russia that there is a major cost economically for Russian institutions, Russian banks, that this invasion is going to be costly to them."
