UN decries Russia's failure to protect Ukraine civilians

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk is pictured during his visit in Helsinki, Finland, on December 19, 2022. Heikki Saukkomaa/Lehtikuva/via REUTERS/File Photo

GENEVA (Reuters) - United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk said on Tuesday there had been an "extensive failure" by Russia to take adequate measures to protect civilians in Ukraine and that there were indications that Russian forces had committed war crimes.

Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said his office's monitoring indicated "gross violations of international human rights law, serious violations of international humanitarian law, and war crimes, primarily by the forces of the Russian Federation".