Amnesty accuses Russia of using cluster munitions

Amnesty International is accusing Russia of using cluster munitions, which are banned under an international treaty. 

Amnesty said Russia used the cluster munitions against a Ukrainian school building on Feb. 25.

Russia used a 220mm Uragan rocket to drop cluster munitions on the Sonechko nursery and kindergarten in Okhtyrka, according to the organization. 

Individuals were reportedly there to take cover from the fighting, with the attack killing three people, including a child, and injuring another minor.

“There is no possible justification for dropping cluster munitions in populated areas, let alone near a school,” Agnès Callamard, secretary-general of Amnesty International, said in a statement on Sunday. “This attack bears all the hallmarks of Russia’s use of this inherently indiscriminate and internationally-banned weapon, and shows flagrant disregard for civilian life.”

Ukraine’s president and ambassador to the U.N. have called for Russia to be investigated for war crimes.

“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,” Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations, Yevheniia Filipenko, told the U.N. Human Rights Council.

Russia has denied that it is targeting civilians in its efforts to take over Ukraine. 

The United Nations Human Rights Council agreed to meet Thursday to discuss the invasion.