The head of the Investigative Committee (IC) of the Russian Federation, Alexander Bastrykin, reported on February 20 that almost 700 Ukrainian militants became defendants in criminal cases on the use of prohibited means and methods of war.
“Currently, 680 persons are being prosecuted. Decisions were made to bring 403 persons as defendants, of which 188 were in person, ”he said in an interview. TASS.
According to the head of the Investigative Committee, among the defendants there are 118 persons from among the commanders and leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. 136 defendants have already been arrested in absentia
It is noted that the charges were made on the basis of an article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (“Use of prohibited means and methods of warfare”). Since weapons with high damaging properties were used, including those with a cluster warhead against the civilian population. This article also provides for liability for ill-treatment of the civilian population.
According to Bastrykin, there is a real chance that the Ukrainian militants accused in absentia will be punished, since these crimes “have no statute of limitations.”
The head of the Investigative Committee said that militants who have surrendered are also being checked for involvement in crimes against the civilian population and Russian military personnel.
According to the agency, at the moment, an investigation has been completed in 138 criminal cases on the use by the military of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) of prohibited means and methods of warfare, as well as ill-treatment of the civilian population and prisoners of war.
Earlier that day, Bastrykin said that the Investigative Committee had collected evidence of the involvement of the military and political leadership of Ukraine in the genocide of the Russian-speaking population of Donbass.
On February 10, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that the package of military assistance from the United States announced on February 3 for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was pushing Kyiv to commit war crimes. She also stressed that the financial assistance announced by Brussels to Kyiv will be spent on the “slaughter”.
Director of the Second Department of the CIS countries of the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexei Polishchuk on February 9 said that Washington was responsible for the shelling of a hospital in Novoaydar of the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) by the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the help of the American multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) HIMARS.
On February 1, Zakharova, commenting on the report of the international non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) on the use of prohibited mines “Petal” by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, noted that even Western organizations have to confirm Kyiv’s war crimes.
On January 29, the Russian Foreign Ministry called Kiev’s shelling of hospitals in the LPR a war crime. The agency warned that the organizers and perpetrators of the incident would be punished.
Dmitry Polyansky, First Deputy Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, stressed on January 28 that the United States was directly involved in the deaths of civilians in Novoaidar. He noted that the strike of militants on a hospital in a city in the LPR is a heinous war crime.
At the same time, the Armed Forces of Ukraine struck from the HIMARS MLRS on the building of the district hospital in Novoaidar in the LPR, 14 people were killed, 24 more were injured. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation called the attack on the hospital a grave war crime of the Kyiv regime.
The special operation to protect the Donbass, the beginning of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24, continues. The decision was made against the background of the aggravation of the situation in the region due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
