War in Ukraine | ‘Thousands’ of war crimes allegedly committed

Ukrainian justice has identified “a few thousand” alleged war crimes in the Donbass and nearly 80 suspects across the country. In Poltava, eastern Ukraine, 2 Russian soldiers accused of bombing civilian areas have been sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Lea Carrier
The Press

80 suspects

“A few thousand” alleged war crimes have been identified in the Donbass, said Ukraine’s Attorney General Iryna Venediktova on Tuesday, visiting The Hague, where the UN International Court of Justice sits.

Ukrainian justice suspects the forced deportation of Ukrainians – possibly children – to Russia, the torture, the murder of civilians and the destruction of civilian infrastructure.

In total, the prosecution has identified 15,000 alleged war crimes and 80 suspects on Ukrainian soil since the Russian invasion, Ms.^me Venediktova.

“It does not mean that all the crimes that are alleged will be brought to justice. It may depend on the evidence that we will collect in each case, ”shades M^e Miriam Cohen, professor of international law at the University of Montreal and holder of a Canada Research Chair.

As the areas of Donbass under Russian control are inaccessible, the Ukrainian authorities are collecting testimonies from evacuated residents and prisoners of war. In a war crime trial, the challenge is to prove the act, but also its author, says M^e Cohen.

“The rules of evidence are specific to each legal system, but normally it takes a combination of different types of evidence”, such as photos, videos or testimonies, she lists.

In Poltava, eastern Ukraine, two Russian soldiers were sentenced to 11 and a half years in prison on Tuesday for bombing two villages in the Kharkiv region with a missile launcher on the first day of the war. In another case, the Ukrainian Court will for the first time consider the case of an alleged rape committed by a Russian soldier. However, the accused has not been arrested and is currently wanted, Mr.^me Venediktova.

A chemical plant affected in Sievierodonetsk

An airstrike hit a chemical plant in Sievierodonetsk, eastern Ukraine, where bloody fighting has been raging for several days.

This was stated by the governor of the region, Serguiï Gaïdaï, on Telegram late Tuesday afternoon. The Russian military pounded “a tank of nitric acid”, he said, urging people to stay safe from the toxic fumes.

The Norwegian Refugee Council issued an urgent appeal for help on Tuesday to evacuate thousands of civilians trapped in the town half-controlled by Russian forces.

The incessant shelling prevents up to 12,000 civilians deprived of water, food and electricity from escaping, the council warned.

More than 1,500 people perished in the battle for the city, which had a pre-war population of around 100,000, Mayor Oleksandr Striuk told The Associated Press.

The oil embargo will hurt the Russians

Ukraine on Tuesday welcomed the proposed Russian oil embargo adopted by the European Union, which should result in a two-thirds reduction in imports by the end of the year.

“The oil embargo will speed up the countdown to the collapse of the Russian economy and war machine,” welcomed Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, who said the embargo could cost ” tens of billions of dollars” to Russia.

For its part, Russia has countered that the sanctions will not be “fatal” for large companies, but that they will harm the Russian population.

Washington steps up its support

The United States announced on Tuesday that it will supply Ukraine with advanced mobile multiple launch rocket systems. Washington, however, requires assurances that these weapons will not be used to strike Russian territory.

A senior White House official said in a press interview that it was multiple rocket launchers mounted on light armor.

However, these are not very long-range systems – it is around 80 km – but they are nevertheless a significant reinforcement of Ukrainian capabilities.

Africa, collateral victim

Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports is heading Africa towards a food crisis, fears African Union Chairman and Senegalese President Macky Sall.

The halt in grain and fertilizer exports via the Black Sea will cause widespread shortages and soaring prices on this continent which already has 282 million undernourished people, he warned at a conference on Tuesday. before European leaders in Brussels. Africa even already has a taste of it: in the space of a few months, the price of fertilizer there has tripled compared to 2021.

With Agence France-Presse and the Associated Press