THE Attorney General of Ukraine accused Russia today of using it rape as a “tactic” of war and called Russian President Vladimir Putin “the leading war criminal of the 21st century.”
Russia denies targeting civilians and denies allegations that its forces committed war crimes in Ukraine.
The Kremlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment by Reuters.
Attorney General Irina Venediktova, who visited the devastated city of Irpin, near Kyiv, said Ukraine was gathering information onrape, torture and other alleged war crimes by Russian forces. He said the allegations included the rape of women, men, children and an elderly woman. Asked at a news conference whether rape was a deliberate Russian war strategy, he said: “I’m sure it was a strategy.”
“It is done, of course, to terrorize society (…) to do everything to (force Ukraine) to capitulate,” he added.
The attorney general did not provide specific details about the rapes, saying some of the victims remained in the country and were afraid to speak out as they worried they might return Russian forces.
Venediktova stressed that Putin is responsible for what happened in Ukraine, as commander-in-chief of the Russian armed forces. “Putin is the main war criminal of the 21st century,” he said, recalling Russia’s interventions in Georgia, Chechnya, Syria and Ukraine in 2014. “We all know who started this war and that person is Vladimir Putin.” , he stressed.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peshkov in March called “unforgivable” a comment by US President Joe Biden calling Putin a “war criminal.”
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