The War Crimes of Putin and His Regime in Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, violating its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and triggering a humanitarian and security crisis in the heart of Europe. The war, which lasted for four months until a ceasefire agreement was signed on 22 June 2022, resulted in more than 10,000 deaths, hundreds of thousands of injuries, and millions of displacements.
But beyond the staggering numbers, there are stories of unimaginable suffering and horror, perpetrated by the Russian regime and its proxies, against the Ukrainian people. Stories of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and even genocide, that have been documented and exposed by brave victims, witnesses, and activists, who risked their lives to seek truth and justice.
In this blog post, we will explore some of the evidence and testimonies of these atrocities, the patterns and motives behind them, and the challenges and opportunities for accountability and reparation.
The Evidence and Testimonies of the Victims and Perpetrators
One of the sources of information on the crimes committed in Ukraine is the International Commission of Human Rights Experts (ICHREE), established by the United Nations Human Rights Council in December 2021. ICHREE is the only existing body with the expertise and mandate to independently investigate abuses committed in Ukraine since November 2020, and collect and preserve evidence for future prosecutions.
According to ICHREE, the Russian forces and their allies have committed systematic and widespread violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, including:
- Deliberate attacks on civilians and civilian objects, such as hospitals, schools, markets, and places of worship, using indiscriminate and disproportionate weapons, such as cluster munitions, incendiary bombs, and chemical agents.
- Massacres of civilians, especially in the cities of Bucha, Izium, and Mariupol, where hundreds of bodies were found, many of them mutilated, burned, or decapitated.
- Torture and ill-treatment of prisoners of war and detainees, including beating, electrocution, waterboarding, and mock executions.
- Rape and other forms of sexual violence, targeting women, men, and children, as a weapon of war and terror.
- Forced deportation of children and adults from Ukraine to Russia or Russia-controlled areas, violating their right to nationality, family, and identity.
- Genocidal acts, aimed at destroying the Ukrainian nation and identity, through killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about physical destruction, imposing measures intended to prevent births, and forcibly transferring children.
ICHREE has collected and analysed thousands of documents, photographs, videos, and physical items, as well as interviewed hundreds of victims and witnesses, to establish the facts and circumstances of these crimes. ICHREE has also identified some of the perpetrators and their chain of command, linking them to the highest levels of the Russian regime, including President Vladimir Putin himself.
Another source of information is the civil society organisations, such as human rights groups, media outlets, and humanitarian agencies, that have been active in documenting and reporting on the situation in Ukraine. These organisations have played a vital role in raising awareness, providing assistance, and advocating for justice, often at great personal risk.
One of the organisations that has been instrumental in exposing the crimes of the Russian regime is Bellingcat, an independent investigative journalism platform that uses open source and social media information to verify and analyse events. Bellingcat has published several reports and investigations on the war in Ukraine, revealing, among other things, the involvement of Russian military units and personnel, the use of banned weapons and tactics, and the cover-up and denial of responsibility by the Kremlin.
One of the stories that Bellingcat and its partners have uncovered is that of Alexandre Konovalov, a young Ukrainian man whose brother was killed by the Russian soldiers in Bucha, a city near Kyiv, on 3 April 2022. Alexandre managed to escape the massacre and recover some of the documents and belongings of the Russian occupiers, which he later shared with the investigators. Among the documents, there were orders, maps, and photos, that showed the planning and execution of the attack, as well as the names and faces of some of the soldiers.
Alexandre’s story is one of the many examples of how ordinary citizens have contributed to the documentation and preservation of evidence of the crimes, and how they have demanded justice and reparation for themselves and their loved ones.
The Patterns and Motives Behind the Crimes
The evidence and testimonies of the crimes committed in Ukraine reveal not only the scale and severity of the violations, but also the patterns and motives behind them. The crimes were not random or isolated incidents, but part of a deliberate and coordinated strategy by the Russian regime and its proxies, to achieve their political and military objectives, and to crush any resistance or opposition.
The main objective of the Russian invasion of Ukraine was to annex and occupy the territory of its neighbour, and to prevent its integration with the European Union and NATO. To achieve this goal, the Russian regime used a hybrid warfare approach, combining conventional and unconventional methods, such as:
- Deploying regular and irregular forces, including special forces, mercenaries, and local militias, often disguised as civilians or peacekeepers, to infiltrate and seize strategic locations, such as airports, bridges, and government buildings.
- Conducting cyberattacks and information warfare, to disrupt and manipulate the communication, infrastructure, and public opinion of Ukraine and its allies, and to spread propaganda and disinformation, portraying the Ukrainian government as illegitimate, corrupt, and fascist, and the Russian intervention as humanitarian, defensive, and liberating.
- Exploiting and exacerbating the ethnic, linguistic, and religious divisions and tensions within Ukraine, especially in the eastern and southern regions, where there is a significant Russian-speaking and Orthodox Christian population, and where the Russian regime has supported and armed separatist movements, such as the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics.
The crimes committed by the Russian regime and its proxies were not only means to an end, but also ends in themselves. They were intended to terrorise and demoralise the Ukrainian people, to destroy their national and cultural identity, and to erase their history and memory. They were also meant to send a message to the international community, especially to the European Union and NATO, that Russia is a powerful and ruthless actor, that will not tolerate any interference or challenge to its interests and influence in the region, and that will not abide by any international law or norm.
The crimes committed in Ukraine were also motivated by the personal and political interests of President Putin and his inner circle, who have been ruling Russia with an iron fist for more than two decades, and who have amassed enormous wealth and power, at the expense of the rights and freedoms of the Russian people. The war in Ukraine was a way for Putin to divert the attention and discontent of the Russian public from the economic and social problems, the corruption and repression, and the lack of democracy and accountability, that plague his regime. It was also a way for Putin to boost his popularity and legitimacy, by appealing to the nationalist and imperialist sentiments of some segments of the Russian society, and by portraying himself as a strong and decisive leader, who can defend and restore the glory and greatness of Russia.
Conclusion
The war in Ukraine was one of the most brutal and devastating conflicts in recent history, which left behind a legacy of pain, trauma, and injustice, for the Ukrainian people and the world. The crimes committed by the Russian regime and its proxies were not only violations of international law and human rights, but also attacks on the dignity and humanity of the victims and their communities.
The quest for accountability and reparation for these crimes is not only a legal and moral duty, but also a necessary and urgent step for the prevention of future violence, and the restoration of peace and stability in the region. The evidence and testimonies of the crimes are the foundations and the tools for achieving this goal, and they must be collected, preserved, and used, by all the relevant actors and mechanisms, at the national and international levels.
The Ukrainian people have shown remarkable courage and resilience in the face of the aggression and oppression, and they deserve the solidarity and support of the international community, in their pursuit of justice and reparation. The war in Ukraine is not only a Ukrainian issue, but a global one, that affects the security and values of the whole world. As the famous Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko wrote, “The fate of Ukraine is the fate of the world”.
