Ukrainian forces endangering civilians: Amnesty

Amnesty International issued a report accusing the Ukrainian military of stationing its troops and artillery near hospitals, schools and residential buildings in ways that may amount to war crimes. The international human rights organisation says it spent two months in Ukraine interviewing locals and collecting physical evidence to compile the report.

"Viable alternatives were available that would not endanger civilians – such as military bases or densely wooded areas nearby, or other structures further away from residential areas," the report states.

The report got harsh pushback from Ukrainian officials and civil society leaders. Perhaps the most surprising criticism came from Amnesty's very own Ukraine operation.

"We did everything we could to prevent this report from going public," wrote Oksana Pokalchuk, Amnesty Ukraine's leader on Facebook. She and her team claim that there are several discrepancies in the report, which was compiled by foreign observers, without any assistance from local staff.

Responding to questions about Amnesty International's findings, Ukraine's deputy Defence Minister, Hanna Maliar, said that Ukraine "regularly conducts evacuations of civilians from conflict areas." Thousands can't or won't flee some of the towns along the front.