Humanitarian groups in Ukraine suffering under threat of drone attacks

Press Clip Source: Public News Service
Written By: Freda Ross, Producer, Public News Service

Some drone operators have used "double tap" strikes, harming humanitarian workers and first responders. (Adobe Stock)

Humanitarian workers and civilians in Ukraine are increasingly being targeted by drone strikes in the war with Russia.

According to a report from the International NGO Safety Organization, attacks on civilian targets have steadily increased since last year.

Joachim Kleinmann, head of programs in Ukraine for the group Nonviolent Peaceforce, is stationed in Ukraine and said with drones more accessible, more people are at risk.

"They're targeting old men and women walking to get pensions, they're targeting persons with disabilities who are walking towards evacuation collection points," Kleinmann pointed out. "It's extremely clear that these are civilians they're engaging and yet they're still prioritizing civilian targets."

Kleinmann noted the Russian drone operators are intentionally targeting emergency vehicles used by local and international humanitarian groups. Kleinmann added NGOs are devising procedures to protect themselves, including using drone detectors to notify groups when one is nearby.

To ensure the safety of workers, humanitarian vehicles inside war zones are clearly marked but Kleinmann acknowledged the identifiers are now making the job more dangerous.

"By showing that you're an international or a local humanitarian organization through agreements and principles of IHL, International Humanitarian Law, there's a level of assumption that you will not be directly targeted. In Ukraine, we have completely lost that," Kleinmann observed.

Kleinmann argued in order to solve the problem, humanitarian groups need to have clear guidelines on ways to mitigate the drone threat and the United Nations must hold countries accountable for war crimes.

"A narrative that exists is that international humanitarian law is not working. However, the thing that's not working is the accountability structures and the toeing the line to make sure that if and when these war crimes happen, that there's levels of accountability at the state level," Kleinmann asserted.

Nonviolent Peaceforce is hosting a three-day workshop with frontline humanitarian workers, first responders, Ukrainian legal experts and others to discuss ways to address the problem.