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A destroyed school in Vasylkiv, Ukraine: In the controversial report, Amnesty International accused the Ukrainian military of having set up bases in schools, among other places
Photo Credit: IMAGO/Mykhaylo Palinchak/ IMAGO/ZUMA Wire
The human rights organization Amnesty International has expressed regret at the anger it has stirred up with a critical report on the Ukrainian army.
Amnesty "deeply regrets the irritation and anger that our press release about the combat tactics of the Ukrainian military has provoked," the organization said.
At the same time, she emphasized: "We stand by our findings." However, these in no way justify Russian violations.
The release of the report on Thursday sparked an outcry in Ukraine.
The head of the human rights organization's Ukraine office, Oksana Pokalchuk, resigned, accusing Amnesty of having adopted Russian propaganda.
In the controversial report, the organization accused the Ukrainian military of endangering civilians by setting up bases in residential areas, schools and hospitals.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused the organization of "putting victims and attackers on the same level".
In addition to the allegations against the Ukrainian army, Amnesty also emphasized in the report that its actions “in no way” justify the “indiscriminate Russian attacks” against the civilian population.
jso/AFP