\u201cThe attacks followed a regular pattern and the same modus operandi, demonstrating that they were planned, directed, and organized \u2026 There is no information suggesting that Russian military and civilian authorities have taken any steps to prevent or stop the commission of the crimes,\u201d the U.N. commission said, adding that nearly 150 civilians have been killed and hundreds more injured in the mentioned area.<\/p>\n
Victims were mostly men, but also women and children. Civilians were targeted in various circumstances, often as they stepped out to do daily activities, whether on foot or in vehicles, the commission added.<\/p>\n
Ukraine\u2019s foreign ministry denounced<\/a> Russia\u2019s \u201cshameful tactic of terror against civilians that must be ended.\u201d<\/p>\n Russia captured Kherson in March 2022, shortly after the start of President Vladimir Putin\u2019s full-scale war on Ukraine. The Ukrainian army recaptured Kherson eight months later<\/a>, but not before Russia had conducted sham referendums in which, the Kremlin claimed, the majority of the Kherson population supported the region joining Russia.<\/p>\n However, international journalists who got unauthorized access<\/a> to Kherson before the Ukrainian government, showed Kherson residents expressing joy as they were celebrating liberation from the Russians. Later, Kherson residents gave testimonies on Russia\u2019s systematic torture of locals<\/a> during the occupation.<\/p>\n