The Impact of the War on Human Rights in Ukraine: A Comparative Analysis

The war in Ukraine, ignited by Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, has wrought immense destruction, displacement, and human suffering. Beyond the battlefield dynamics, one of the most profound consequences of the conflict has been its impact on human rights. Here we explore the human rights violations that have emerged from the war in Ukraine and we compare them with those seen in recent and historical conflicts such as the wars in Syria, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and World War II. By examining these parallels, the essay aims to place the Ukrainian crisis in context amongst the broader patterns of wartime human rights abuses.

Human Rights Violations in Ukraine

From the outset of the invasion, numerous reports by international bodies such as the United Nations, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch have documented widespread human rights abuses in Ukraine. These include indiscriminate shelling of civilian infrastructure, the targeting of hospitals and schools, arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence, and the forced deportation of civilians to Russia. The siege of cities like Mariupol and the massacre in Bucha stand out as particularly egregious examples. These acts violate core tenets of international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions that are supposed to uphold them.

The war has also devastated the rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees, with millions of Ukrainians fleeing their homes and facing precarious conditions in unfamiliar regions or countries. Access to education, healthcare, housing, and employment has been severely undermined, particularly for vulnerable populations such as women, children, the elderly, and people with disabilities.

Numerical comparisons are very difficult. So far in the second Russian invasion of Ukraine there have been very few tolerably accurate attempts to count either military or civilian deaths; or if there have, then the figures have been classified. In late 2024 the US Government released a figure of 42,000 Ukrainian soldiers dead; but this seems too low having regard to battlefield conditions; and figures for casualties on the Russian side are completely unknown due to the opaque nature of the system of government in Russia. The number of civilian fatalities in Ukraine is also not accurately reported; these figures tend not to be worked out reliably until well after the end of wars. However to give one numerical comparison, there is now a consensus that the number of people killed in the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina between 1992 and 1995 (three and a half years - almost as long as the second Russian invasion of Ukraine has been continuing) was some 100,000, military and civilian combined, on all sides. Bosnia and Herzegovina had at the time a population one-tenth of the size of Ukraine or slightly less than 4 million, placing the mortality rate at 2.5% of the population. Comparing these figures with the data available for Ukraine in the midst of conflict is virtually impossible.

Comparative Perspective: Syria

The Syrian Civil War presents a relevant contemporary comparison. Since 2011, the conflict has been marked by similar patterns of abuse, including the bombing of civilian targets, use of chemical weapons, and mass displacement. Both the Syrian and Ukrainian conflicts feature external powers pursuing geopolitical objectives with little regard for civilian lives. However, while Syria’s government has been the primary perpetrator of human rights abuses against its own population, in Ukraine, it is an external aggressor—Russia—that bears the primary responsibility. Nevertheless it is worth noting that in Syria it was Russia that backed the Syrian regime responsible for human rights abuses, until that government's overthrow and replacement with a Turkish-backed government in December 2024 that is now seeking to reclaim control of the entirety of the territory of the country.

Comparative Perspective: Bosnia and the Balkans

The Bosnian War of the 1990s shares with the Ukrainian conflict the tragic hallmark of ethnic cleansing and war crimes. The siege of Sarajevo and the Srebrenica massacre are grim reminders of the brutality of warfare against civilian populations. In both conflicts, violations of human rights were used systematically as tools of war to terrorise, displace, or eliminate targeted populations. The Bosnian conflict ultimately led to the establishment of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), a landmark in the prosecution of war crimes. Similar mechanisms are being considered today, including efforts to hold Russian officials accountable through the International Criminal Court (ICC) including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Comparative Perspective: Iraq

The Iraq War, particularly following the US-led invasion in 2003, saw significant human rights challenges. While the initial objective was to depose a dictatorial regime accused of possessing weapons of mass destruction, the ensuing chaos led to sectarian violence, insurgency, and occupation-related abuses. Civilian casualties surged, and institutions collapsed, resulting in long-term instability. Notably, cases like the abuse of detainees in Abu Ghraib prison drew global condemnation and highlighted how occupying powers can themselves become violators of human rights.

Comparatively, Ukraine’s situation also involves the collapse of civilian order in occupied areas, but with the additional element of foreign annexation attempts and systemic deportations. However unlike Iraq, where violations were committed by both domestic and international actors amid a power vacuum, the violations in Ukraine are more directly linked to a conventional state-to-state invasion.

Comparative Perspective: Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s decades-long conflict—from the Soviet invasion in 1979 to the US occupation in 2001 and Taliban resurgence—has been marked by cyclical human rights violations. Women and girls, in particular, have faced systemic repression under Taliban rule, including bans on education and public participation. Civilian casualties due to drone strikes, night raids, and militant attacks have been persistent throughout the conflict.

Ukraine’s conflict shares the tragic theme of mass displacement and civilian vulnerability but differs in the ideological basis of repression. While Afghanistan has been shaped by religious extremism and insurgent rule, Ukraine’s human rights crisis stems from territorial conquest and military aggression by a state actor. Additionally Ukraine has retained a functioning democratic government, allowing for continued documentation, resistance, and international advocacy—something that has often been severely restricted or impossible in Afghanistan.

Comparative Perspective: World War II

Historical analogies can also be drawn with World War II, particularly in the use of total war tactics, forced displacement, and mass civilian casualties. The occupation strategies employed by Russia in parts of Ukraine echo Soviet-era repressions, with reports of filtration camps, cultural erasure, and suppression of local identities. However unlike during WW-II, modern communication technologies have allowed for real-time documentation and dissemination of evidence, bolstering advocacy efforts and accountability initiatives.

Conclusion

The war in Ukraine represents a stark reminder of how quickly human rights can unravel in the face of armed conflict. While each war is shaped by unique historical, political, and cultural factors, the patterns of abuse—targeting civilians, undermining humanitarian protections, and displacing populations—remain disturbingly consistent. Ukraine’s plight also underscores the importance of a strong international legal framework and the political will to enforce it. By comparing Ukraine’s experience with other conflicts, we not only deepen our understanding of war’s toll on human rights but also reinforce the imperative to prevent, respond to, and seek justice for such violations wherever they occur.