Ukrainian prosecutors filed criminal indictments against Russian soldiers accused of committing war crimes in Bucha, Ukraine, the first such charges announced since Russia began its invasion of the country in February.
Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova wrote in a social media post that 10 Russian non-commissioned officers and private soldiers participated in the “torture of peaceful civilians” during their occupation of Bucha, where more than 300 bodies were discovered this month after that the Russian forces were withdrawn at the end of March.
By collating Russian military lists and social media posts, investigators confirmed the identities of 10 soldiers in interviews with witnesses and victims of the alleged crimes.
The 10 soldiers accused by prosecutors (four privates, four corporals and two sergeants) are part of the 64 Russian Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade. Russian President Vladimir Putin previously praised the unit for its “great heroism and courage”.
“The investigation established that during the occupation of Bucha, they took unarmed civilians hostage, They did not provide them with food or water, they kept them on their knees with their hands tied and their eyes covered with tape, and they were mocked and beaten”, said Venediktova in the complaint, adding : “Some were tortured for no reason.”
In #Bucha, the dead are being buried non-stop. Reuters pictures show fields of fresh graves and crosses.
According to #Ukrainian authorities, at least 400 people died in the city. The process of identifying the dead is still under way. pic.twitter.com/0T100NBXvMV
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) April 28, 2022
The criminal filings come after the United States revealed credible evidence that Russian troops executed Ukrainians who surrendered in Donetsk.
Beth Van Schaack, US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice, shared the information during a meeting of the Arria Formula, an informal consultation process at the Council of UN Security.
At the meeting entitled “Ensuring accountability for the atrocities committed by Russia”, Van Schaack stated that if his accusation is true, the responsible Russian troops would have violated a fundamental principle of the laws of war.
“Russia has failed in its objective of capturing kyiv and has failed in their goal of subjugating Ukraine. But we have all seen the Kremlin inflict massive brutality across the country, and the United States has assessed that Russian forces are committing war crimes in Ukraine”, said Van Schaack, explaining that the assessment is based on a “careful and rigorous review” of public and intelligence sources.
Russia has denied attacking Ukrainian civilians, and the Kremlin dismissed photographic evidence of the Bucha atrocities as staged.
Ukrainian officials have said that more than were discovered Bodies in Bucha and other surrounded cities, after Russia’s withdrawal from the region.
Michelle Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said at the meeting that his team documented during a one-day visit to Bucha the unlawful killing, including summary executions, of 13 civilians, in s Mostly men, but also women and children.
“The treatment of prisoners of war by the parties also raises serious concerns. The videos apparently recorded by the combatants are available online and show intimidation, torture and even murders of prisoners of war”, Bachelet said during the meeting. “Accountability for these violations and victims’ rights to remedy and reparation must be guaranteed.”
The international community’s response to Russia’s invasion was swift: democratic nations imposed severe sanctions against Moscow and the United Nations created a commission to document war crimes with others 13 countries that launched their own investigations into allegations of war crimes.
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