Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday evening accused Amnesty International of “attempting to grant amnesty to the terrorist state” of Russia, after the NGO accused kyiv of endangering civilians in the context of the war with Moscow. Amnesty International “transfers the responsibility from the aggressor to the victim”, he added.
Earlier in the day, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, Dmytro Kouleba, said he was “outraged” by “unfair” accusations in a video comment posted on Facebook.
In the report released Thursday after a four-month investigation, the NGO accused the Ukrainian military of establishing military bases in schools and hospitals and launching attacks from populated areas, a tactic it said violates the international humanitarian law.
“Disinformation and propaganda campaign”
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak accused Amnesty of participating in a “disinformation and propaganda campaign” in the service of the Kremlin’s arguments. If Amnesty has denounced these Ukrainian tactics, the NGO insists that they “in no way justify the blind Russian attacks” which have hit the civilian populations.
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