US Indicts Four Soldiers 'Linked to Russia' for War Crimes

The United States has charged four soldiers officially linked to Russia with committing war crimes against an American citizen during Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The US Department of Justice described this as 'the first case of indictment under the United States War Crimes Act.' The indictment against these four Russian men includes charges of torture, inhumane treatment, conspiracy to commit war crimes, and unlawful treatment of an American citizen. According to the indictment, these individuals kidnapped an American citizen from his home in a village in southern Ukraine in April 2022 and subjected him to severe physical abuse, including punches, kicks, and the use of a rifle butt, interrogation, death threats, mock executions, threats of sexual violence, and various forms of torture for ten days. Merrick Garland, the US Attorney General, stated that the US Department of Justice, like others around the world, has witnessed the horror resulting from Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine. The US Department of Justice also mentioned that they threatened to kill the victim and conducted a mock execution. According to US justice officials, the charges against the defendants indicate that they not only violated the Geneva Conventions regarding the protection of civilians in wartime but also violated US laws. Zelensky canceled a virtual meeting with US Congress members. The US imposed sanctions on several individuals and entities in Belarus. The commander of the 14th Army Corps of Russia was killed. Kyiv accused Russia of firing on unarmed Ukrainian soldiers.