On the night of April 24, Russian military forces launched a massive attack on Ukrainian territory, using two Iskander-M ballistic missiles and 107 strike drones, predominantly Shaheds. According to the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, about 70 of the drones were of Iranian production.
This is reported by Finway
Results of Air Defense Operations
As of 8:00 AM, the Ukrainian air defense forces had destroyed or suppressed 96 enemy drones of the Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas types, and other models that attacked from the north, south, and east of the country. At the same time, direct hits from two ballistic missiles and ten strike drones were recorded on nine objects, as well as debris falling in two additional locations.
“According to preliminary data, as of 08:00, the air defense has shot down/suppressed 96 enemy UAVs of the Shahed, Gerbera, Italmas types, and drones of other types in the north, south, and east of the country,” the report states.
The Air Forces warn that as of the morning, the attack is ongoing, and Russian drones remain in the airspace of Ukraine.
Scale of Destruction and Signs of Genocidal Actions
Russia continuously employs various types of weapons—strike drones, missiles, guided aerial bombs, and multiple launch rocket systems—to target Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure across the country. Ukrainian authorities and international organizations regard these strikes as war crimes of the Russian Federation, which have a targeted nature.
Strikes on life support systems, hospitals, energy, water supply, and communication facilities, as well as depriving people of access to medical assistance, are seen as manifestations of genocidal actions. Lawyers, genocide researchers, and human rights defenders emphasize that during this large-scale war, Russia commits all types of crimes that fall under the definition of genocide. In particular, these include:
- Declarations of intent to destroy Ukrainians, including public statements by representatives of the Russian authorities about the non-existence of Ukrainians as a people;
- Calls for the destruction of Ukrainians;
- Targeted shelling of critical infrastructure to deprive the population of basic living conditions;
- Persecution and destruction of pro-Ukrainian citizens in occupied territories;
- Extermination of representatives of the intelligentsia, educators, artists, and carriers of Ukrainian culture;
- Imposition of Russian educational programs in occupied territories to change the identity of children;
- Deportation of children without parents to Russia to change their national affiliation;
- Destruction of Ukrainian books, looting of museum collections, and theft of historical artifacts.
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1948, obliges participating countries (currently 149) to prevent acts of genocide and punish those responsible in both wartime and peacetime. Under this Convention, genocide is defined as actions aimed at the complete or partial destruction of a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group.
Among the signs of genocide are the killing of group members, causing them serious bodily harm, creating conditions intended for their destruction, prohibiting childbirth, forcibly transferring children to other groups, and publicly inciting such actions.
The leadership of Russia continues to deny that its armed forces deliberately strike civilian infrastructure, resulting in the deaths of civilians and the destruction of hospitals, schools, kindergartens, energy, or water supply facilities.