US Officially Holds Russia Responsible For War Crimes In Ukraine

The U.S. government has formally accused Russia of being responsible for war crimes, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday in a press release.

Blinken called attention to the barbarity of Russia’s actions, such as bombings of hospitals and the targeting of civilians.

“Russia’s forces have destroyed apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, critical infrastructure, civilian vehicles, shopping centers, and ambulances, leaving thousands of innocent civilians killed or wounded,” he said. “Russian President Vladimir Putin has unleashed unrelenting violence that has caused death and destruction across Ukraine.”

Last week, President Joe Biden referred to Putin as a “war criminal,” calling his actions “atrocities” and “an outrage to the world.” Blinken has reiterated Biden’s sentiment “based on the countless accounts and images of destruction and suffering we have all seen, that war crimes had been committed by Putin’s forces in Ukraine.”

Blinken concluded by confirming that the U.S. officially declared that Russian forces had been committing war crimes over the past month.

“Our assessment is based on a careful review of available information from public and intelligence sources,” he said. “As with any alleged crime, a court of law with jurisdiction over the crime is ultimately responsible for determining criminal guilt in specific cases… We are committed to pursuing accountability using every tool available, including criminal prosecutions.”

Ukraine's government reported Tuesday that about 15,000 Russian troops have been killed since the war began on Feb. 24. Russia began the invasion with an estimated 190,000 troops.

Over 100 children have been killed as well as around 920 civilians. On Monday, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused Russia of forcibly deporting 2,389 children.