In a recent report to the UN Human Rights Council, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine detailed alarming findings about the use of drones by Russian forces to target Ukrainian civilians. The investigation highlighted a distressing pattern along the Dnipro River, where civilians have been pursued and attacked with explosives delivered by short-range drones.

These drones, which are often equipped with first-person-view cameras allowing for real-time targeting, have been used to deliberately strike non-combatants and emergency services, intensifying the humanitarian crisis in the regions of Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, and Mykolaiv. The April report from the Commission underscored that drones have become the leading cause of civilian casualties in Ukraine, surpassing traditional warfare methods like missiles and artillery.

The use of technology to select specific targets raises significant ethical and legal questions. Operators are able to distinguish between military and civilian targets; however, evidence suggests a continuous pattern of attacks on civilians, who are explicitly protected under international humanitarian law. The principle of distinction, a cornerstone of this law, mandates that combatants must differentiate between civilian and military targets, a protocol that these drone attacks seem to blatantly violate.

Furthermore, Article 51 of the Additional Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions prohibits indiscriminate attacks and actions that intentionally target civilians, which can be classified as war crimes. The intentional directing of drone attacks on civilians not only breaches international law but may also constitute a war crime.

The repercussions of these drone attacks extend beyond immediate physical harm. Numerous communities have been devastated, rendering them uninhabitable and forcing thousands to flee, potentially amounting to the crime against humanity of forcible transfer of population.

As the international community continues to scrutinize these incidents, further insights are expected to be presented at the upcoming UN General Assembly in October. The findings of this report emphasize the urgent need for accountability and reevaluation of engagement rules in modern warfare to safeguard civilian lives.