Russia used deliberate starvation tactics during its February 2022 takeover of Mariupol – The Guardian

At the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the terrorist state of Russia used a deliberate model of starvation tactics during the 85-day siege of the city of Mariupol. Lawyers of Global Rights Compliance say that the strategy of depriving the residents of the Ukrainian city of food and services during the blockade can be equated to a war crime.

Human rights activists have submitted evidence to the International Criminal Court in The Hague that the Russian army intended to kill and harm a large number of civilians. This was reported by The Guardian.

According to preliminary data, 22 thousand civilians died during the blockade of Mariupol at the beginning of the war. Due to the criminal actions of the Russians, people were left without water, gas, and electricity. According to Global Rights Compliance partner Catriona Murdoch, the purpose of the study was to find out if there is a wider version that is a deliberate starvation tactic.

"We could see that the Russian attack consisted of four phases: starting with attacks on civilian infrastructure and ending with the disconnection of electricity, heating, and water. Then humanitarian evacuations were denied and even attacked, and aid was not delivered," Murdoch said.

She also stated that Russians terrorized civilians and bombed drinking water points. Finally, Russia launched strategic attacks to destroy or seize infrastructure in Mariupol.

The study confirmed that the terrorist state Russia planned to capture the frontline city without mercy for its civilian population, which was estimated at 450,000 people before the invasion began on February 24, 2022. Enemy shelling destroyed or damaged about 90% of medical facilities and buildings, and food distribution points and humanitarian evacuation routes were bombed.

Human rights activists emphasized that, given the importance of Mariupol and the centralization of Russian decision-making, the blame for the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians lies directly with dictator Vladimir Putin and the Russian military leadership.

As a reminder, the occupying Russian "authorities" of the captured Mariupol decided to distribute apartments to Ukrainians who evacuated the city after the full-scale invasion. The so-called ownerless premises are going to be given away as "compensation" to those who are homeless.

Earlier it was reported that the temporarily occupied Mariupol is turning into a city of disorder and garbage. The number of illegal landfills is growing rapidly in all districts.

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