UN: New Evidence of Russian 'War Crimes' Found in Ukraine

A United Nations commission investigating Ukraine announced on Friday, October 20, that it has found further evidence indicating that Russian forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine, including sexual assault and the forced transfer of children to Russia, without distinguishing between their victims. In a report presented to the UN General Assembly, the commission noted a list of Russian attacks in various cities, including Uman and Kherson, stating: "This commission has found new evidence that Russian officials have committed violations of international human rights and humanitarian law and similar crimes in areas under their control in Ukraine." According to the report, "This commission has recently documented attacks affecting civilian locations and facilities such as residential buildings, railway stations, shops, and warehouses used by civilians, resulting in numerous civilian casualties." Russia has strongly denied committing war crimes or targeting civilians in Ukraine. The commission stated that it has documented cases of sexual assault "using force or pressure and psychological threats." The report mentions: "Most of these incidents occurred after the perpetrators attacked the victims' homes. Victims reported that they were sexually assaulted under the threat of weapons and threats of murder or serious harm to themselves or their relatives." The commission also documented the transfer of 31 children from Ukraine to Russia last May, concluding that this was an illegal deportation and a war crime. Moscow has repeatedly denied the forced transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia, claiming that they transfer children found in orphanages or without guardians to Russia for their safety and try to reunite them with relatives in Russia whenever possible. The Russian diplomatic mission in Geneva did not respond to a request for comment on the commission's report regarding Ukraine. The commission also found that Ukrainian officials had violated human rights in three cases involving individuals accused of collaborating with Russian authorities. Source: Reuters News Agency