Ukraine invasion: Javid accuses Russia of war crimes as UK sends aidon March 12, 2022 at 9:07 am

The UK has sent six more plane-loads of medical aid and equipment to Ukraine as Health Secretary Sajid Javid accused Russia of war crimes in attacking medical facilities.

Mr Javid said there had been more than 25 attacks on health centres and hospitals since the invasion began.

“This is a war crime and Russia will pay for the crimes it’s carrying out,” he said.

Russia has claimed, without evidence, that hospital bombings were faked.

One attack on a maternity and children’s hospital in Mariupol on Thursday which killed three people, including a child, was condemned by Prime Minister Boris Johnson as “depraved”.

Speaking on a visit to Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Mr Javid said that “Russia needs to stop its aggression”.

“This is a war started by Russia, completely unprovoked, completely unjustified,” he said.

He said the World Health Organization had counted more than 25 health facilities which had been targeted or hit by Russian forces, describing it as “completely unacceptable”.

“This is a war crime, and Russia will pay for the crimes that it is carrying out in Ukraine today,” he said.

More medical aid, on top of the six plane-loads already sent, will got out in coming days, he added.

Under the Geneva Conventions and other international agreements which attempt to regulate wars, civilians cannot be deliberately attacked, and neither can the infrastructure they depend on to survive.

The UK is among 39 countries which on 3 March referred Russia to the International Criminal Court, which prosecutes war crimes, following the bombardment of civilian areas in several cities.

Meanwhile, an intelligence briefing from the Ministry of Defence says several cities remain encircled by Russian forces and continue to suffer heavy shelling.

Fighting north-west of Kyiv continues with most Russian ground forces now 15 miles (25km) from the centre of the capital city, the MoD said.

It said that part of the large column of Russian forces north of Kyiv have dispersed, which is likely an attempt to support an attempt to surround the city.

The UK has promised more than £400m of aid to Ukraine, including humanitarian aid and economic support.

It was also among the first to send weapons and other military aid, starting in January.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said this week that the UK had delivered 3,615 light anti-tank missiles and promised to continue to deliver more.

He said the UK would also start delivering a “small consignment” of Javelin anti-tank missiles, which can target tanks up to 1.5 miles (2.5km) away, and is considering donating Starstreak portable anti-aircraft missiles.

Aid to Ukraine’s military has also included body armour, helmets, boots, ear defenders, ration packs, rangefinders and communications equipment, the defence secretary said.

But the UK has faced criticism over its response to the displacement of over 2.5 million Ukrainians, with only 1,000 refugees given visas via the Ukraine Family Scheme as of Friday.

A new visa scheme allowing individuals and organisations to sponsor Ukrainians to come to the UK if they do not have family connections is expected to be announced on Monday.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the UK’s moves towards making its system more generous were “going in the right direction” and “maybe at some point they will totally match” the European Union approach of allowing refugees from the war a three-year residency without a visa.

Mr Macron said a letter from his interior minister accusing the UK of a “lack of humanity” had been “useful” and France would assess over the next few days whether enough was being done. He said France had offered to host visa application centres in Lille or other cities.