war in Ukraine
US and EU reiterate allegations of Russian war crimes
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that the US has evidence of targeted Russian attacks on civilians in Ukraine
© Saul Loeb / Picture Alliance
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accuses Russia of war crimes again. According to the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, the EU is also seeing an increase in targeted Russian attacks on civilians.
According to the United States, it has collected evidence that Russian soldiers were accused of war crimes in the Ukraine war. “Based on the information currently available, the US government assumes that members of the Russian armed forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine,” Foreign Minister Antony Blinken said on Wednesday. There are “numerous credible reports of indiscriminate attacks, attacks intentionally targeting civilians, and other atrocities.”
Blinking: Russia attacks civilians
The US assessment is based on both publicly available and intelligence information. He referred to the destruction of “residential houses, schools, hospitals, important facilities, civilian vehicles, shopping malls and ambulances” that would have caused “thousands of deaths and injuries”. Many of these sites were “clearly marked as being used by civilians,” he explained.
The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, made a similar statement on Wednesday evening: “We are seeing Russia increasingly attacking civilians, targeting hospitals, schools and places of refuge.” He demanded: “These war crimes must be stopped immediately”.
Blinken announced that the US wanted to investigate the crimes in court. “We are determined to hold them accountable by any means at our disposal, including criminal prosecution,” he said.
US Ambassador for International Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack said on Wednesday the US was determined to “hold those directly responsible” “accountable”. “We are examining all available options” to bring those responsible to justice, “including national courts” such as those of Ukraine and third countries where Russian suspects could be arrested.
International Criminal Court investigates war crimes
The West and the Ukrainian government have been accusing Russia of alleged war crimes for weeks. US President Joe Biden recently caused a stir by publicly calling his Russian colleague Vladimir Putin a “war criminal”. The chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, launched an investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine in early March.
Moscow firmly denies the allegations. According to their own statements, the Russian armed forces only attack military targets and not the civilian population. However, non-governmental organizations and international organizations have documented numerous incidents that could constitute war crimes.