Russian forces have oppened fire on innocent Ukrainians trying to escape the war torn country

Russian forces have fired on civilian vehicles in three separate attacks in Ukraine’s Kyiv and Chernihiv regions.

The incidents, killing six civilians and wounding three, have been condemned by Human Rights Watch.

According to HRW, in one particular case, Kremlin troops reportedly pulled a man from a van and summarily executed him.

In a statement Human Rights Watch says they interviewed nine witnesses who were each present during one of the three incidents, including two who were wounded in these attacks.

Researchers visited the sites of the three incidents and examined the four cars that were fired upon. Witnesses say that there were no Ukrainian forces in the vicinity at the time.

HRW says a large number of civilian vehicles currently disabled on roads in the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions have been left with bullet holes, burn marks, and other signs of destruction.

It suggests that Russian forces have also harmed other civilians in similar unlawful attacks.

Russian forces should respect civilians trying to flee hostilities and facilitate the delivery of impartial humanitarian aid for civilians through territory under their control.

“On February 28, HRW says Russian forces opened fire on two vehicles carrying nine civilians who were trying to flee the area. On March 3, they shot at a vehicle with four men who were going to negotiate delivery of humanitarian aid. The third incident took place in the village of Nova Basan, in Chernihiv region, 70 kilometers east of central Kyiv, when Russian forces shot at a civilian van carrying two men, injuring one of them. Soldiers pulled the second man from the van and summarily executed him, while the injured man escaped.” Human Rights Watch said in a statement to Ticker News.

Under international humanitarian law, or the laws of war, civilians may never be the deliberate target of attacks

Parties to an armed conflict must take all feasible precautions to minimise harm to civilians and civilian objects, and not carry out attacks that fail to discriminate between combatants and civilians.

Under law, anyone who orders or deliberately commits such acts, or aids and abets them, is responsible for war crimes. Commanders of forces who knew or had reason to know about such crimes but did not attempt to stop them or punish those responsible are criminally liable for war crimes as a matter of command responsibility.

Russia should conduct impartial, thorough, and transparent investigations into these killings and should compensate victims of any unlawful attacks.