| Abbreviation | IICOI Ukraine |
|---|---|
| Formation | 4 March 2022; 3 years ago (2022-03-04) |
| Type | United Nations commission of inquiry,advisory board |
| Legal status | Active |
| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland |
| Erik Møse | |
Parent organization | United Nations Human Rights Council |
| Website | Official website |
TheIndependent International Commission of Inquiry in Ukraine is aUnited Nations commission of inquiry established by theUnited Nations Human Rights Council on 4 March 2022 with a mandate to investigate violations ofhuman rights and ofinternational humanitarian law in theRussian invasion of Ukraine.[1][2] The Commission delivered its first reports on 18 October 2022[3] and 16 March 2023.[4] The Commission's mandate was extended in April 2025, through resolution 58/24.[5]
On 3 March 2022, theUnited Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) started debating the effect of theRussian invasion of Ukraine on human rights.[6] On 4 March, in resolution A/HRC/49/L.1, the UNHRC condemned the violations of human rights and international law caused by the full-scale Russian invasion, called forRussia to stop its violations in Ukraine, and for Russia to completely withdraw from internationally recognised Ukrainian territory to prevent further violations, and voted to establish an independent international commission of inquiry on Ukraine. The UNHRC passed the resolution with 32 states in favour, 13 absentions and 2 (Eritrea and Russia) against.[2][1]
The Russian representative on the UNHRC,Evgeny Ustinov, called the commission of inquiry "a mere waste of resources, which could better be used to help civilians in Ukraine".[7]Human Rights Watch expressed its support for the UNHRC to create a commission of inquiry into violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in Ukraine by all groups involved.[8]
The commission of inquiry was initially set up, in March 2022, to include three human rights experts for one year,[2][1] headed byErik Møse from Norway, and also including Jasminka Džumhur from Bosnia and Herzegovina andPablo de Greiff from Colombia.[9] In June 2023,Vrinda Grover, a lawyer from India, replaced Džumhur.[10]
The goal of the commission was to investigate all alleged violations and abuses ofhuman rights andinternational humanitarian law in theRussian invasion of Ukraine. The commission was required to make recommendations based on its investigation, first in September 2022[9] to the 51st and 52nd sessions of the UNHRC and the 77th session of theUnited Nations General Assembly.[2]
On 18 October 2022, the Commission published its report on events between the end of February and March 2022 in the four regions ofKyiv,Chernihiv,Kharkiv, andSumy. The Commission found that Russian armed forces were responsible for the great majority of human rights andinternational humanitarian law violations, but that Ukrainian forces also violated international humanitarian law, notably in two incidents that qualified aswar crimes.[3]
In a March 2023 report, the Commission found that Russia had committed numerous violations ofinternational human rights law andinternational humanitarian law in Ukraine, and that many of these breaches constituted war crimes.[11][12] Evidence gathered by the Commission included:
The Ukrainian government responded to inquiries from the commission; the Russian authorities refused to cooperate.[12]
The report concluded: "that Russian authorities have committed numerous violations of international humanitarian law and violations of international human rights law, in addition to a wide range of war crimes," These included that of excessive incidental death, injury or damage, wilful killings, torture, inhuman treatment,unlawful confinement,rape, andunlawful transfers and deportations. The commission also found that torture by Russians and thewaves of Russian airstrikes starting 10 October 2022 on Ukraine's energy infrastructure might amount to crimes against humanity.[12]
On 25 September 2023, Commission ChairErik Møse delivered an update at the 54th session of theUN Human Rights Council, saying "The Commission is also concerned about allegations of genocide in Ukraine. For instance, some of the rhetoric transmitted in Russian state and other media may constitute incitement to genocide. The Commission is continuing its investigations on such issues."[13]
The commission's 15 March 2024 report included documented cases ofsexual violence and torture and Russian ill-treatment of Ukrainianprisoners of war.[14][15] A September 2024 update by the chair of the commission presented evidence of torture, sexual violence, andaerial bombing of civilian infrastructure includingcritical energy infrastructure.[16][17]
In its March 2025 report, the commission said that it had found evidence for Russia having committed thecrimes against humanity of torture and ofenforced disappearances based on interviews with about 1800 victims and witnesses. Russian authorities had failed to respond to 31 "communications" by the commission, among which some communications requested information about Russian victims. The commission found that both Russian and Ukrainian forces had committed the war crime of killing wounded soldiershors de combat by drones, and found some cases of Ukrainian authorities violating the human rights of suspected collaborators.[18]
In May 2025, the commission published a report in which it stated that Russian drone attacks on Ukrainian civilians inKherson Oblast were systematic and consistent over ten months over a wide geographic area and intentionally directed at civilians. The commission inferred that the attacks were planned and organised and thus constitute the crime against humanity of murder, and possibly also the crime against humanity of forced population transfer.[19][20]
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