Ukraine: "The whole world is against you", launches the ambassador to Putin, the UN opens an investigation into the violence

32 votes for, 2 against.

The UN Human Rights Council on Friday approved by an overwhelming majority a resolution to launch an international investigation into violations of human rights and humanitarian law in Ukraine after the Russian invasion.

It is the first time in the Council's history that a resolution directly targets Russia, according to a UN spokesman.

The resolution condemns "violations of human rights and violations of these rights resulting from the aggression of the Russian Federation".

A vote which confirms a little more the isolation of Russia on the international level.

Immediately after the Council, Ukrainian Ambassador Yevheniia Filipenko addressed Putin in the press: "You are internationally isolated and the whole world is against you", she told the Russian autocrat .

Poutine isolated, not totally lonely

Among the countries that have refused to launch a commission of inquiry are Russia, of course, but also Eritrea.

13 leaders still abstained, including China, India, Cuba, Pakistan and Venezuela.

After a first massive vote in the UN General Assembly earlier in the week to demand that Moscow end the conflict, Russia suffered another bitter defeat at the Human Rights Council.

This vote comes as the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, Zaporijie, located in southern Ukraine, was hit on Friday by Russian army strikes which caused a fire, quickly extinguished by Ukrainian firefighters.

The text calls for "the rapid and verifiable withdrawal of Russian troops and Russian-backed armed groups from the entire internationally recognized territory of Ukraine", and calls for the emergency establishment for an initial period of one year “an independent international commission of inquiry”, the Council's highest level of inquiry.

The investigators will be responsible for "collecting, compiling and analyzing the evidence attesting to (…) violations" of human rights and international humanitarian law resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with a view to future trials, and to identify the responsible for these violations "so that they have to answer for their actions".

The Russian invasion caused great emotion in the world.

Anti-war demonstrations and gestures of solidarity with Ukrainians have multiplied, in view of the bombardments and the exodus from Ukraine of around 1.2 million people, according to the latest UN figures.