The US declares that the Russian military committed war crimes in Ukraine

Secretary of State Antony Blinken Image Credit

According to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the US government has publicly stated that members of the Russian military forces committed war crimes in Ukraine.

The official US statement claiming Moscow's troops broke international law comes after Blinken, President Joe Biden, and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman all stated their personal belief that war crimes had occurred.

"Today, I can report that the US administration believes that members of Russia's military have committed war crimes in Ukraine, based on information now available," Blinken said in a statement.

"Our assessment is based on a comprehensive review of publicly available information as well as intelligence sources," he explained.

The US government's decision to issue a formal accusation is a huge step forward after weeks of refusing to state that the airstrikes against civilians in Ukraine were war crimes. However, it remains to be seen whether individuals accused of committing the alleged crimes would face any consequences, as well as whether Russian President Vladimir Putin will be held responsible.

Biden accused Putin of war crimes last week. "I believe he is a war criminal," Biden said following his White House remarks.

"As with any alleged crime, judging criminal culpability in specific situations is ultimately the responsibility of a court of law with jurisdiction over the offense," Blinken said on Wednesday. "The United States government will continue to monitor reports of war crimes and, if necessary, share information with friends, partners, and international institutions and organizations. We're dedicated to holding people accountable with every tool at our disposal, including criminal charges."

In his statement, Blinken noted "reliable accounts" of indiscriminate and intentional attacks on civilians, including the destruction of apartment buildings, schools, and hospitals. Attacks on a maternity facility and a theater in Mariupol were expressly mentioned by the State Department. The Russian term for "children" was written in letters visible from the sky, according to the State Department.

The US ambassador at large for global criminal justice, Beth Van Schaack, said she couldn't go into specifics about which acts the US has determined to be war crimes, but that the US is "looking at the wide range of activities that Russia's forces are involved in" in Ukraine.

At a State Department briefing, she added, "This is going to be an ongoing process throughout this conflict."

"As with any alleged crime, it will ultimately be up to a court of law to identify individual criminal liability who is directly liable for these particular crimes," Van Schaack said.

When asked if Putin is responsible for the acts of members of his country's military forces, Van Schaack responded that "there are principles under international law and domestic law that can reach all the way up the chain of command."

"The US government will continue to monitor claims of war crimes in Ukraine and, if necessary, share this information with our friends and allies, as well as international and multilateral institutions. In addition, we are assisting the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office and its War Crimes Directorate, as well as civil society documentation efforts "she stated

Evidence must be collected and preserved for future accountability, according to Van Schaack.

Source: CNN