A famous NGO has done an investigation and issued a report on the Ukrainian conflict.
The NGO says Ukraine set up bases in residential areas, including schools and hospitals, when there were viable alternatives.
Amnesty International on Thursday said that Ukraine is endangering civilians in its war-fighting tactics by establishing bases and launching attacks from residential areas, including schools and hospitals.
“We have documented a pattern of Ukrainian forces putting civilians at risk and violating the laws of war when they operate in populated areas,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty’s secretary-general. “Being in a defensive position does not exempt the Ukrainian military from respecting international humanitarian law.”
Amnesty said that most residential areas where Ukrainian soldiers located themselves were “kilometers” away from the front lines and that there were “viable alternatives” that would not endanger civilians.
The NGO said it found Ukrainian forces using hospitals as de facto military bases in five locations. In 22 out of 29 schools that Amnesty visited, their researchers “either found soldiers using the premises or found evidence of current or prior military activity.”
Amnesty said that as a result of Ukraine’s tactics, Russian strikes in populated areas killed civilians. However, the NGO said that not every Russian attack followed this pattern and that where they accused Moscow of war crimes in Kharkiv, they did not find Ukraine using civilian areas as bases. Amnesty also said Ukraine’s tactics do not excuse Russia’s “indiscriminate attacks.”
Ukraine reacted angrily to Amnesty’s report, with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba saying he was “outraged.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused the NGO of “helping the terrorists” by publishing the report.
Callamard called on Ukraine to ensure that the areas it uses as bases are away from populated areas. “Militaries should never use hospitals to engage in warfare, and should only use schools or civilian homes as a last resort when there are no viable alternatives,” she said.
Apparently Amnesty does not fall for the narrative that Ukraine’s lobbyists and PR firms want to portray.
In case the reader would like to read the entire document (now there is a laugh….someone taking the time to do their own research) it is here….
Ukraine: Ukrainian fighting tactics endanger civilians
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
In Saner Thought 
I read the linked article, chuq. When Russia hit a maternity hospital, the world was outraged. Russia claimed that neo-Nazi Azov Batallion troops were occupying the upper floors. Ukraine denied that of course. Now we have an independent point of view.
Best wishes, Pete.
There are some people in the know who have concluded that, at best, the work of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch amounts to junk research and, at worst, their work may be the result of noble cause corruption or even ignoble cause corruption. Either way, the status quo must change – Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch should no longer enjoy the presumption of competency and dependability. Instead, both organisations must earn such repute on a report-by-report basis. I think the best idea is to put some of them smack dab in the middle of the destruction and the killing of war to experience it all first hand themselves and then let them write their reports.
I disagree….people that make those accusations are the very ones committing these crimes and will use the BS to cover up those actions. chuq
I agree ….since it contradictions the narrative that the US and Zelensky want to promote it will be attacked on all sides.
I see Biden has okayed another $1 billion weapons package for Ukraine…..how much money can the US waste before the idiots that support this war come to their senses?. chuq
I think somebody ought to put Amnesty’s ass in the middle of the fighting at the time of the most intense attacks and let them decide if they might want to change their narrative a little bit.
Everybody always has an opinion until it is their own safety on the line. Put the observers in the middle of the action for a few days and let them get a taste of what it is really like.
That should includes everybody…that will not happen for those that make war seldom have to fight it. So anytime someone tries to bring light to the situation I applaud their efforts. chuq
Or we could whitewash war crimes….as we do constantly…..chuq
Amnesty has a reputable record in general.. but I would be wary about how to place all this at the face value of the report. I am not super military strategist by any means (nor do I play one on TV) but I would personally like to know how they did their data collection and strategic analysis. It sounds as if the presumption here is that elements of the Ukranian military were using schools, hospitals, et all as defensive/offensive positions FOR THE EXPRESS PURPOSE OF DRAWING RUSSIAN FIRE ONTO THEM IN ORDER TO MAXIMIZE CIVILIAN CASUALTIES AND MAKE THE RUSKIES LOOK BAD. I read that report and I don’t seem to follow that conclusion.
Using a bit of common sense here, I can very easily extrapolate that the Ukrainian military, made up nearly entirely of civilians from all professions.. and the fact they were defending their own soil… meant that they were very possibly drawn into inhabited and semi-inhabited villages and towns and very likely welcomed by the resident civilians as being a presence to defend their town… if not the soldiers themselves even defending their own towns and homes directly. Using American terminology, they were very possibly “citizen soldiers” defending their communities. So their presence in those areas would have been quite possible, as would their taking up defensive positions in and around “questionable” structures. Honestly.. the Amnesty report may have some factual basis but to me it lacks in how it made its conclusions. Honestly, if my family were in the next village that the Russians were headed into I would certainly welcome my own military into my damn living room to defend our town. Would that likely draw enemy fire onto civilian populated areas? Well, sure sounds like the Russians were shelling to obliterate everything in their path anyway before entering a given town in order to reduce resistance when they entered. I’m not about to tell the defending soldiers mudding up my living room to “go please take your war elsewhere fellows.”
So.. sorry.. I have serious doubts of the conclusions… or the “implied” conclusions, of this report.
Looks like the PR firms have done their job well. Reputable but……what does that mean? chuq
Interesting read on Amnesty… they are not infallible by any means.
https://www.dw.com/en/amnesty-international-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly/a-57680902
No one is infallible….but tis report is dismissed out of hand and no questions are ask of the PR work Ukraine has done thru our media…..chuq