According to an article published in The Hill on April 27, the U.S. cites ‘credible’ reports that the Russian military executed Ukrainians trying to surrender in the Donbas.
U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack made the comments at a United Nations (UN) meeting on accountability in Ukraine on April 27.
“We now have credible information that a Russian military unit operating in the vicinity of Donetsk executed Ukrainians who were attempting to surrender, rather than taking them into custody,” said Schaack.
“If true, this would be in violation of a core principle of the law of war: the prohibition against the summary execution of civilians and of combatants who are hors de combat by virtue of surrender, injury or other forms of incapacitation,” she added.
Russia’s War Crimes
The number of war crimes committed by Russia during its invasion of Ukraine is growing. Russia is already accused of torture, sexual violence, killing civilians, as well as shelling hospitals and other civilian infrastructure. The bodies of 412 civilians were found following the occupation of Bucha. Some victims had their hands tied. Most had bullet wounds, indicating premeditated murder.
According to preliminary estimates, more than 20,000 civilians died in the blockade of Mariupol alone. The real scale of the atrocities in the city is still unknown. In and around the city, journalists are already finding large mass graves with the help of satellite imagery.
On April 28, the Office of the General Prosecutor had already opened more than 8,600 criminal cases related to the war.
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