Human rights group Amnesty International accused the Ukrainian army on Thursday of putting civilians in danger by setting up military bases in residential areas as it fends off Russia.
"Ukrainian forces have put civilians in harm's way by establishing bases and operating weapons systems in populated residential areas, including in schools and hospitals," the group wrote in a report, prompting outrage in Kiev.
The rules of war requires parties to the conflict to place military objects as far away as possible from civilian facilities, Amnesty said.
At the same time, Amnesty stressed that "such violations in no way justify Russia's indiscriminate attacks, which have killed and injured countless civilians."
While the report was widely covered by Russian media loyal to Kremlin, Kiev slammed it. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said it was a shame that Amnesty was participating in a Russian propaganda and disinformation campaign aimed at stopping Western arms supplies.
"The only thing that poses a threat to Ukrainians is the army of Russian executioners and rapists coming to to commit genocide," he wrote on Twitter. "Our defenders protect their nation and families.
He also pointed out that residents were repeatedly evacuated from towns near the front - precisely because the lives of the civilian population were a priority for Ukraine.
Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in February, a number of serious crimes against civilians have been made public for which Kiev, and most of the international community, blame Moscow.
Among the most shocking incidents was the discovery of hundreds of corpses in the Kiev suburb of Bucha.
