On May 13, Russian forces executed a significant aerial assault on Ukraine, resulting in two strikes on critical infrastructure in the town of Zhovkva, located in the Lviv region. The city’s mayor, Oleg Volskyi, reported that the attacks led to widespread power outages.
Emergency services are currently responding to the situation, with the mayor urging residents to avoid taking photographs and to remain in safe locations until the air raid alert is lifted. No information regarding casualties has been disclosed by local authorities.
Earlier on the same day, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate indicated that Russia had initiated a prolonged combined airstrike targeting critical facilities across the country. Intelligence assessments suggest that Russia may deploy a substantial number of air and sea-launched cruise missiles, as well as ballistic missiles, in future operations.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported the presence of over a hundred Russian drones in the skies above Ukraine, warning that additional waves of drone attacks could occur throughout the day.
Reports of casualties and damage from the Russian attacks have emerged from several regions, including Odesa, Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, Cherkasy, and Sumy. Russian military forces have consistently targeted Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure using various weaponry, including strike drones, missiles, and multiple rocket launch systems.
Ukrainian authorities, along with international organizations, classify these strikes as war crimes, emphasizing their deliberate nature. Attacks on essential services and healthcare facilities, aimed at depriving civilians of electricity, heat, water supply, communication, and medical assistance, are viewed as indicative of genocidal actions.
Legal experts and human rights advocates assert that Russia’s actions during the ongoing conflict constitute various forms of crimes that could fall under the definition of genocide. This includes public declarations aimed at the destruction of Ukrainians, as Russian officials have repeatedly claimed that Ukrainians as an ethnic group do not exist and should be eradicated.
Specific indicators of genocide include:
- Killings or serious bodily harm to members of the group.
- Deliberate infliction of living conditions calculated to destroy the group.
- Prevention of births and the forcible transfer of children from one group to another.
- Public incitement to commit such acts.
The 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, obligates its 149 signatory states to prevent and punish acts of genocide during both wartime and peacetime.
Despite the evidence presented, Russian leadership denies that its military is intentionally targeting civilian infrastructure and harming non-combatants, including hospitals, schools, and essential utilities.
Recent Russian airstrikes in Ukraine have targeted critical infrastructure, leading to power outages in Zhovkva. Authorities classify these actions as war crimes, citing a pattern of attacks aimed at civilian facilities.