Bangladesh among 17 countries which abstained from voting on UN resolution on war crimes in Ukraine

Bangladesh along with 16 other countries, including India and Pakistan, have abstained from voting on a UN resolution for extending the mandate of the investigation into possible war crimes committed since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

Sergiy Kyslytsya, the Ukrainian permanent representative to the UN, tweeted, "We salute delegations @UN_HRC that supported draft Res Situation of human rights in Ukraine stemming from the Russian aggression - Extension of the mandate of Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. We note just 2 del's were against. War crimes accountability now!"

A total of 28 countries supported the extension of the mandate of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine by a year while China and Eritrea were against it.

Russia refused to address the Human Rights Council on Tuesday while vigorously denying allegations of committing atrocities or targeting civilians in Ukraine.

"The scope and brutality of Russia's atrocities in Ukraine are simply beyond any human comprehension," Ukraine's Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Yevheniia Filipenko, told the Council ahead of the vote.

"We strongly believe that the continued work of the Commission in further investigating, documenting and reporting human rights violations and international crimes committed against the people in Ukraine could save more innocent lives (and) could contribute to accountability for perpetrators and justice for victims."

The battlefield focus remained on Bakhmut, a mining city and transport hub on the edge of a chunk of Donetsk province largely under Russian control. Both sides have suffered huge casualties and much of the city has been reduced to ruins after months of street fighting and bombardments.

Near the town of Niu-York, 50 km (30 miles) south of Bakhmut, Ukrainian soldiers in muddy dugouts described repelling Russian attacks on a daily basis.