Geneva Conventions: how russia violates obligations signed by the USSR
On 2 November 2026, in Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, russia dropped aerial bombs on a humanitarian aid distribution point and then struck the shelter where people had taken cover. At least 57 people were killed. Such strikes violate the Geneva Conventions. They bear the signature of the USSR, and russia is still bound by them.
Komyshuvakha is not an isolated case. Between 2 and 10 November alone, rescuers, a hospital, energy facilities in nine oblasts, a residential building, and a shop came under attack.
What obligations russia took on under the Geneva Conventions
The Geneva Conventions for the protection of war victims were adopted on 12 August 1949. They protect those who do not take part in hostilities or no longer do so: civilians, the wounded, the sick, and prisoners of war.
The 1977 Additional Protocols clarified and strengthened the protection afforded to all civilians and civilian objects. In particular, they contain specific rules on the special protection of civil defence organisations.
The USSR signed the Conventions on 12 December 1949, and ratified them on 10 May 1954. It signed Additional Protocol I on the protection of victims of international armed conflicts on 12 December 1977, and ratified it on 29 September 1989.
russia regards itself as the continuator state of the USSR and remains a party to these treaties. In 2019, it withdrew its declaration recognising the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission. This is the basis of the myth that russia has withdrawn from the Geneva Conventions.
In fact, it has not. The russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs itself stressed that this does not affect its participation in Protocol I, which remains in force for russia.
What exactly is russia obliged to do? Respect the Conventions and ensure respect for them, give the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) access to prisoners of war, refrain from deporting civilians, and search for and prosecute those who have committed crimes.
The Conventions apply in an international armed conflict regardless of what a party calls the war. So the pseudo-name “special military operation” changes nothing.
Since 1 January 2025, Ukraine has been a State Party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). russia signed the Statute in 2000 but withdrew its signature in 2016 and is not a party. However, the ICC has jurisdiction over crimes committed on Ukrainian territory, so it extends to russia’s actions.
Civilian casualties of russian strikes, according to the UN
From 24 February 2022 to 30 September 2026, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) verified 73,451 civilian casualties. They include 17,605 killed and 55,846 injured, and the actual figures, the Mission stresses, are higher.
The war is becoming increasingly dangerous for civilians. In January–September 2026, 2,570 civilians were killed and another 15,211 people were injured. That is 59% more civilian casualties than in the same period of 2025.
The death toll for these nine months has already exceeded the total for all of 2025, when the Mission recorded 2,549 deaths.
Which Geneva Conventions rules russia violated in just a few days of November
Each of the six strikes on 2–10 November 2026 violates several rules of international humanitarian law (IHL) at once.
Komyshuvakha, 2 November: aid distribution point and shelter
Humanitarian aid was being distributed at the former Dzherelo school. Nine aerial bombs were dropped on the settlement: first a FAB-500 on the school, then a FAB-3000 on the shelter where the survivors had gone down.
Among those killed were two rescuers from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SES) and four police officers. According to the police, as of 12 November, the bodies of at least 57 people had been recovered from the rubble, and 48 of them had been identified. The search continues.
The UN Mission stressed that the time and place of the distribution had been announced in advance and that the strike appeared to violate the most fundamental principles of international humanitarian law.
The civilian population as such, as well as individual civilians, shall not be the object of attack.
Additional Protocol I, Article 51(2)
Provisions violated: Additional Protocol I, Articles 48, 51(2), 51(4)–(5), 52, 57; humanitarian assistance (Articles 70–71); civil defence (Articles 61–62); Rome Statute, Article 8(2)(b)(i)–(iii)
Komyshuvakha, 8 November: drones against rescuers
SES rescuers had been clearing the rubble for the seventh day when enemy drones attacked the site three times in one day, including with an FPV drone. Two rescuers were injured, and a fire and rescue vehicle was damaged.
Civilian civil defence organizations and their personnel shall be respected and protected.
Additional Protocol I, Article 62(1)
Provisions violated: Additional Protocol I, Articles 61–62 (civil defence), 51(2)
Kharkiv, 3 November: hospital
At around 3:20 a.m., an aerial bomb hit the passageway between buildings of a city hospital. At the time, 236 patients and 31 staff members were in the cardiology building. According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, 73 people were affected by the strike and 226 patients were evacuated.
Civilian hospitals organized to give care to the wounded and sick, the infirm and maternity cases, may in no circumstances be the object of attack.
Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 18
Provisions violated: Fourth Geneva Convention, Article 18; Additional Protocol I, Article 12; Rome Statute, Article 8(2)(b)(ix)
Nine oblasts, 3 November: energy
On the night of 3 November, the russian military launched 289 attack drones, 17 ballistic missiles, and 59 cruise missiles at Ukraine. The main targets were power generation facilities and substations in nine oblasts.
A hospice, a hospital, and an outpatient clinic in Dnipro were damaged. Two people were killed and another 20 were injured, according to the SES.
Intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects, that is, objects which are not military objectives.
Rome Statute of the ICC, Article 8(2)(b)(ii)
Provisions violated: Additional Protocol I, Articles 52, 57. UN Commission (26 October 2026): strikes on energy infrastructure are war crimes and crimes against humanity. Article 8(2)(b)(ii) of the Rome Statute: intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects, that is, objects which are not military objectives
Kyiv, 7 November: homes and a kindergarten
In a single night, the enemy launched 36 missiles and 172 attack drones at Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast. The targets were substations connecting the Rivne and Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plants to Kyiv, but a five-storey residential building and a building on the grounds of a kindergarten were also damaged.
In Kyiv, at least five people were injured, including a 14-year-old child, according to the city authorities. In Kyiv Oblast, a man was killed, according to the regional military administration.
In the conduct of military operations, constant care shall be taken to spare the civilian population, civilians and civilian objects.
Additional Protocol I, Article 57(1)
Provisions violated: Additional Protocol I, Articles 52, 57; special protection of children (Article 77). UN Commission: strikes on energy infrastructure are war crimes. Article 8(2)(b)(ii) of the Rome Statute: intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects, that is, objects which are not military objectives
Kropyvnytskyi, 10 November: shop
In the morning, a strike hit a shop belonging to one of the retail chains in the regional centre. According to the SES, two people were injured.
Civilian objects shall not be the object of attack or of reprisals.
Additional Protocol I, Article 52(1)
Provisions violated: Additional Protocol I, Articles 51(2), 52. Article 8(2)(b)(ii) of the Rome Statute: intentionally directing attacks against civilian objects, that is, objects which are not military objectives
How many times russia has attacked protected objects
International bodies are also assessing strikes on protected objects. The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine found that attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure are war crimes and crimes against humanity. The report was presented to the UN General Assembly on 26 October 2026.
There is no official count of violations of the Conventions, because violations are established by courts. UN agencies and government bodies count recorded attacks on protected categories:
- healthcare: over 3,400 attacks verified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as of 3 November 2026;
- education: 4,706 educational institutions damaged by shelling, 428 of them completely destroyed, according to the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine;
- energy: at least 423 attacks on the power sector and 74 on heating supply from October 2025 to March 2026, according to the UN;
- rescuers: 130 SES personnel killed since the start of the full-scale invasion, as of 17 September 2026;
- humanitarian workers: 35 killed and 127 injured since 2022, according to the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) as of 24 February 2026.
These counts are kept by different organisations for different periods, so they are not added together.
Behind every line of these counts are episodes like Komyshuvakha, where rescuers were still clearing the rubble of the shelter under drone attacks six days after the strike.
