Once a day, NU.nl gives you an overview of the situation in Ukraine. This time: According to the United Kingdom, Russia has violated the Geneva Conventions and thereby international humanitarian law by imposing the death penalty on three prisoners of war. And the mayor of Mariupol warns that cholera may kill thousands of people.
British prisoners of war Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, who are held in Mariupol, have been sentenced to death along with Moroccan Brahim Saadoun by a pro-Russian court in the eastern Ukraine region of Donetsk. They were part of the defense of the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol when they were captured.
The United Kingdom reacted furiously. “The ruling against them is an unheard of violation of the Geneva Conventions,” said British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. She discussed the situation with her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba on Friday.
Truss did not elaborate on her statement. According to the Geneva Conventions, prisoners of war have the right to fair treatment and a fair trial with an independent judiciary. A spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Friday that the British are only talking with Ukraine about the release of the prisoners of war.
There wasn’t just British anger. Amnesty International also denounced the imposition of the death penalty by the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.
“This has never happened before. This so-called Donetsk People’s Republic has a so-called criminal law that includes a so-called death penalty. This makes no sense at all. Russia bears full responsibility for this,” Amnesty said.
Russia calls response ‘hysterical’
A spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry called the British response to the death sentences “hysterical”.
“The United Kingdom often reacts hysterically to these kinds of things,” according to a statement on the ministry’s website. “These men are hitmen who have taken the wrong side.”
According to the Russians, the British should appeal to the leaders of the self-proclaimed People’s Republic in Donetsk. Russia is the only country in the world to recognize the people’s republics of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent.
The British should be with this man, according to Russia, the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.
The British should be with this man, according to Russia, the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. Photo: AFP
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Cholera can kill thousands in the city
Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko warned Friday that as summer approaches, cholera and other deadly diseases could kill thousands more. In the destroyed port city in southeastern Ukraine, countless bodies are still in a state of decomposition.
Wells and wells have been contaminated by the remains of people killed during the weeks-long Russian siege, Boychenko said. Moreover, the occupiers are in no hurry to pick up and bury the victims.
“Cholera and dysentery have broken out. Unfortunately, our medics have determined that the war in which more than 20,000 inhabitants have already died from these infections will cost thousands more,” the mayor said on Ukrainian TV.
Boychenko, who is no longer in Mariupol himself, said the city has been quarantined. Ukrainian authorities estimate that of the 430,000 people who lived there, about 100,000 remained behind.
A destroyed building in Mariupol, late May.
A destroyed building in Mariupol, late May. Photo: Reuters
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Germany: Serbia must take over EU sanctions against Russia
Germany urges Serbia to join EU sanctions against its longtime ally Russia. A country that wants to join the EU also has to comply with the foreign policy of the union. That’s what Chancellor Olaf Scholz told his host, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, in Belgrade.
Serbia has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but has not taken any punitive measures against Russia. The EU does expect this from so-called candidate countries, of which Serbia is also one.
But the Balkan country can hardly do otherwise, because it is very dependent on Russian natural gas, for example, says Vucic. Serbia has traditionally been closely linked culturally and politically with the great Slavic country.
Serbia has been preparing to join the EU since 2014, but has made no progress. The country has an autocratic regime and has been receiving one negative judgment after another from Brussels for years.
While traveling through Serbia and Kosovo, among other places, Scholz seeks a delicate balance between nurturing and keeping these western Balkan countries at a distance. The EU wants to avoid turning disappointed to rivals Russia and China, but is far from ready to join.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Photo: AFP
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New situation in Ukraine
Finally, we also have a new map of Ukraine for you, which includes the latest updates and shows the current situation in the country.
The current situation in Ukraine
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The red areas indicate which regions have been occupied by the Russians. You can click on red dots on the map for extra information about major events.
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