AFP
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NOS News•today, 22:33
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Ukraine is according to a rapport of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) jointly guilty of the deaths in an attack on a nursing home in the Lugansk region. Dozens of civilians were probably killed in the attack in early March.
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AP news agency reports that Ukrainian authorities blamed Russian troops for the attack on the nursing home in Stara Krasnyanka. This would be an ‘unprovoked’ attack, but the UN doubts that. According to the human rights agency, the Ukrainian army is also to blame for the attack because soldiers moved into the nursing home a few days before, making it a target.
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71 patients
The Ukrainian soldiers arrived at the care home on March 7. They had chosen this site because, according to the report, it had “a strategic location in relation to a major nearby road”.
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On March 11, the building was attacked by Russian soldiers with heavy weapons. At that time, in addition to the soldiers, 71 patients and fifteen employees were present. After that, fighting broke out between Russian and Ukrainian troops and a fire broke out in the care home.
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It is difficult to determine exactly how many patients died, but according to the UN, at least 22 patients survived the attack. The report does not say that there are any war crimes involved, but does mention it as an example of the possible use of a human shield. The report also mentions an example of how Russian soldiers may have been guilty of this in another incident.
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