Russia-Ukraine war: UN human rights chief says Putin must end armed attacks on Ukraine

Russia continues to bombard Ukraine in the sixth month of the war Moscow has waged on Kyiv. The United Nations human rights chief recently called on Russian leader Vladimir Putin to put an end to armed attacks on Ukraine.

In remarks Thursday that marked the end of her term as the UN’s human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet called on Putin to stop the armed attacks on Ukraine. Bachelet also said that the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in the Russian-occupied area must be demilitarized.

Bachelet added that documentation must be made by the international community in order to prove that atrocities were committed during the war.

US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy both called on Russia to return the nuclear power plant to Ukrainian control during a phone conversation Thursday.

Both leaders also called for international authorities to assess the safety of the facility in light of concerns that a nuclear disaster may happen if the fighting continues near the area.

Russia and Ukraine have traded blame for the shelling in the area, in which the plant is also Europe’s largest nuclear reactor facility. Russian forces seized the area where the plant is located back in March, which is close to the frontlines.

“Russia should agree to demilitarized zone around the plant,” and give access to the International Atomic Energy Agency “as soon as possible to check on the safety and security of the system,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre in a briefing.

The bombardment of Ukraine continued this week even as the country celebrated its 31st independence day from Soviet rule. Kyiv mayor Vitaly Klitschko announced the day after the holiday that the capital will be renaming its 95 streets as an effort to get rid of Russian and Soviet names.

Ukraine has sought to go through a “derussification” of the country since Russia invaded back in February to further shed the legacy of centuries under Russian rule.

The new street names “should perpetuate the memory of significant historical events in Ukraine, as well as famous heroes and figures who glorified Ukraine and fought for the Independence of our state,” Klitschko wrote on the Telegram messaging platform.