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The US government has accused Russian forces of committing war crimes in Ukraine.
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Secretary of State Blinken said the US has seen “indiscriminate attacks” on civilians.
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Blinken said the US will work to assist prosecutions of any offenders.
The US government has accused Russian forces of committing war crimes in Ukraine.
“Based on the information currently available, the U.S. government assesses that members Russia’s forces are committing war crimes in Ukraine,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Wednesday.
Blinken added: “We’ve seen numerous credible reports of indiscriminate attacks and attacks deliberately targeting civilians, as well as other atrocities.”
He said the US will continue to track reports of war crimes and share information with international organizations and allies.
“We are committed to pursuing accountability using every tool available, including criminal prosecutions,” he said.
The accusation is the strongest condemnation yet from the US following Ukrainian allegations of atrocities for widespread targeting of civilians during Russia’s invasion.
Russian forces have continued to bombard Ukrainian cities as the war in Ukraine approaches its one-month mark. According to the latest United Nations figures, there have been over 2,500 civilian casualties in Ukraine — though it acknowledged that the actual figure is much higher.
In Ukraine’s southern port city of Mariupol, Russia has targeted hospitals, schools, and theaters where hundreds of children were sheltering.
The State Department suggested on Tuesday that increasing Russian brutality against Ukrainian cities and civilians may be because Russian President Vladimir Putin is angry and surprised that Ukrainians have put up such a fierce resistance.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that the brutal assault on Mariupol constitutes as “war crimes” and said Russia’s “terror” will be “remembered for centuries to come.”
Zelenskyy is among a growing number of world leaders and international organizations that have slammed Russia for possibly committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
Last week, President Joe Biden called Putin a “war criminal” in his harshest condemnation yet, and said Putin’s troops were committing “atrocities” in Ukraine.
“We’re united in our abhorrence of Putin’s depraved onslaught, and we’ll continue to have their backs as they fight for freedom, democracy, their very survival,” he said on March 16 while announcing a sweeping new military aid package.
That day, the International Court of Justice ordered Russia to immediately stop its attack on Ukraine as it investigates claims of genocide — though that ruling that may be largely symbolic.
Earlier in March, the top prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said he would investigate potential war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine.
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