UN Claims to Find New Evidence of Russian War Crimes in Ukraine

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Facts

  • On Friday, the UN Commission of Inquiry — citing hundreds of interviews with local residents — claimed to have found new evidence collected in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions confirming that Russian forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine, including rape, torture, and the deportation of 31 children.1
  • Claiming that the use of torture by Russian authorities in areas under their control has been 'widespread and systematic,' the report said the alleged atrocities were committed primarily against men suspected of collaborating with Ukrainian authorities.2
  • The report follows the International Criminal Court (ICC) issuing an arrest warrant for Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin in March for allegedly overseeing the unlawful transfer of unaccompanied Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation.3
  • The Kremlin has previously denied that it targets civilians in Ukraine or that it has forcibly removed Ukrainian children, claiming that it has moved orphans or minors without parental care to Russia for their safety, with many of them being placed with relatives.4
  • Meanwhile, the UN report also alleged that it had found three instances of Kyiv— which has also faced accusations of carrying out war crimes — abusing Ukrainians accused of passing information to Moscow.1

Sources: 1The New York Times, 2Reliefweb, 3The Guardian and 4Reuters.

Narratives

  • Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by Washington Post. The Russian forces have long committed abuses amounting to war crimes with the tacit consent of the high command. So, it isn't surprising that the UN report has found further evidence of human rights violations in Moscow's unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. These atrocities remain inherent to the Russian way of war. Putin and those following his orders must all face justice at the ICC.
  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. The outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict has once again shined a light on how hypocritical the Western countries are with regard to allegations of war crimes, as they have resorted to this rhetoric to try to diplomatically isolate Russia but are supporting Israel as it bombs the Gaza Strip. The UN report is another biased political stunt to smear Moscow's military actions.

Predictions