On February 17, drone strikes in the Sumy region of Ukraine resulted in injuries to over 15 individuals, according to reports from the regional military administration. The attacks have reportedly targeted civilian infrastructure, including residential buildings and administrative facilities.
In the city of Sumy, 11 people sustained injuries, with a 28-year-old woman remaining hospitalized. The Bilopillia community also reported injuries to four civilians, two of whom, aged 39 and 52, were hospitalized. Additionally, a 46-year-old man in the Shostka district was injured when a drone struck his home.
Russian military forces have been conducting regular attacks on Ukrainian cities using various types of weaponry, including strike drones, missiles, and multiple rocket launchers. These strikes have raised concerns among Ukrainian authorities and international organizations, who classify them as war crimes, citing their deliberate nature.
The Ukrainian government has emphasized that these assaults are aimed at crippling essential services and healthcare facilities, effectively depriving civilians of electricity, heat, water, communication, and medical assistance. Legal experts and human rights advocates have characterized these actions as indicative of genocidal intent, pointing to statements made by Russian officials that undermine the existence of Ukrainian identity.
The 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide obligates its 149 member states to prevent and punish acts of genocide during both wartime and peacetime. The Convention defines genocide as actions intended to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.
Signs of genocide include the killing of group members, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting living conditions calculated to destroy the group, preventing births within the group, and forcibly transferring children from one group to another.
Despite these allegations, Russian officials deny that their military is intentionally targeting civilian infrastructure, asserting that their operations are aimed at military objectives.
Recent drone strikes in Ukraine's Sumy region have resulted in multiple civilian injuries, prompting accusations of war crimes against Russian forces. The attacks are seen as part of a broader strategy to undermine civilian infrastructure.