The Human Rights Watch announced today that it has documented more cases “obvious war crimes” from Russian troops in two regions of Ukraine.
The human rights organization reports that Russian forces controlling much of the Kiev and Chernihiv regions from late February to March executions, torture and other serious abuses.
The report refers to what HRW says it is 22 executions with summary proceedings, nine others illegal homicidessix possible forced disappearances and seven cases of torture. Twenty civilians told HRW that they were being held illegally in inhumane and degrading conditions. HRW asked alleged abuses to “investigate impartially and make appropriate prosecutions”.
The representative of the Kremlin Dmitry Peshkov and the Russian Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters to comment on the Human Rights Watch report.
Russia denies targeting civilians or engaging in war crimes and accuses Ukraine of committing atrocities aimed at tarnishing Russian forces.
Asked more generally about allegations of war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, Peshkov told Reuters: “We consider it impossible and unacceptable to make such terms.”
“Many of the cases that Ukraine is talking about are obviously fake, and the most glaring are fabricated, as has been convincingly proven by our experts,” he said.
The HRW states that he visited in total 17 villages and small towns in the regions of Kiev and Chernihiv and interviewed 65 people from April 10 to May 10, including former detainees, people who say they survived torture, families of victims, and other witnesses. Reuters could not immediately verify the allegations relied on by HRW.
The report went further than a statement released in April in which the Observatory for Human Rights said it had documented “several cases of war violations by Russian military forces” in Russian-controlled areas such as Chernihiv. Kharkiv and Kyiv.
Russia calls its actions in Ukraine “special military operation” which aims to weaken its southern neighbor’s military capabilities and arrest those it considers dangerous nationalists.
Kyiv District Court today began the hearing in the first trial for war crime against Russian soldier who took part in the Russian invasion of February 24. The soldier, who is accused of killing a 62-year-old civilian, told the court he was guilty.
Ukraine says it has identified more than 10,000 possible war crimes in total.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
