Russian strikes on Ukraine could have violated laws of war: United Nations

Russia-Ukraine War: "These strikes may have violated the principles of the conduct of hostilities under international humanitarian law," Ravina Shamdasani said.

Russia's recent wave of attacks on Ukraine may have violated the laws of war and would amount to war crimes if civilians were deliberately targeted, the United Nations said Tuesday.

Russia-Ukraine War: An elderly man walks past a car shop that was destroyed after a Russian attack in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. (AP)

"These strikes may have violated the principles of the conduct of hostilities under international humanitarian law," Ravina Shamdasani, a spokeswoman for the UN human rights office, told reporters in Geneva, adding that intentionally targeting civilians and civilian objects, "amounts to a war crime".