The Ukrainian Prosecutor General has named 10 Russian soldiers allegedly involved in human rights violations during the period A whole month of occupation butcha.
Irina Venediktova He also told German television that Ukrainian investigators had identified “more than 8,000 cases” of suspected war crimes since the Russian invasion, which included accusations of “killing civilians, bombing civilian infrastructure, torture” and “sex crimes”.
Her comments came as the International Criminal Court ramps up its investigation into alleged war crimes committed in Ukraine since the start of the war. The Dutch government will “very soon” send a team of “dozens” of forensic specialists Ukraine APS reported Thursday that it is on behalf of the International Criminal Court to collect evidence of human rights violations.
The withdrawal of Russian troops from Kyiv left in early April Terrifying evidence of atrocities Littered in the outskirts and towns of the region, dozens of bodies in civilian clothes were found lying in the streets or buried in shallow graves.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, Venedictova identified 10 soldiers — two sergeants, four sergeants and four soldiers — she said were all “involved in the torture of peaceful people” during the brutal occupation of Bucha, a small commuter town 18.5 miles north-west of Kyiv.
Venediktova said that the soldiers were part of 64 Motorized Rifle Brigadea unit based in the Khabarovsk region, on the Pacific coast in the far east of Russia.
During the occupation of Bucha, they took unarmed civilians hostage, killed them with hunger and thirst, and kept them on their knees with their hands tied and their eyes duct tape. [The hostages] They were mocked and beaten with fists and shotguns. They were beaten for information about the site [Ukrainian] The armed forces…and some of them were tortured for no reason at all.”
Venediktova appealed to the public to help collect evidence, and said that Ukrainian prosecutors and police officers are now investigating whether any of the men were also involved in the murders.
Ukraine, along with a number of Western countries and human rights organizations, accused Russian forces of extrajudicially killing civilians in Bucha.
Stanislav Kozynchuk, deputy head of the Kyiv region’s prosecutor’s office, said investigators are working with victims to identify perpetrators of human rights violations.
“The suspects are soldiers from the Russian Federation,” he said. “We understand who was there, what happened, and we are now looking at these military units that were involved in the killings.”
He said some of the soldiers involved had already been redeployed to fight in eastern Ukraine.
at recent days ReportHuman Rights Watch said that “Russian forces committed a series of apparent war crimes during their occupation” of the town, adding that investigators “found extensive evidence of summary executions, other unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, and torture, all of which would constitute war crimes.” and potential crimes against humanity.
Watchman Reported Dozens of civilians were killed during the Russian occupation of Bucha by a small metal bullet from the type of shells fired by Russian artillery.
Earlier this month, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense identified the 64th Motorized Rifle Brigade as the unit that occupied Bucha, and released all soldiers’ names, ranks and passport details.
Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in the alleged human rights violations, while Russian state television broadcast reports alleging that images of civilian deaths in Bucha were filmed or as a result of crimes committed by Ukrainian forces.
During a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, at the Kremlin on Tuesday, the Russian president said: Russian President Vladimir Putin“The Russian forces have no ties to Bucha,” he said.
“We know who did it. We know who prepared this provocation … We know who they are,” Putin added, without giving further details.
Earlier this month, Putin awarded the 64th Motorized Rifle Brigade the honorary title of “Guardians” and praised the unit for its “great heroism and courage.”
“This high distinction recognizes your special merits, great heroism and courage in defending your Motherland, in protecting Russia’s sovereignty and national interests,” Putin’s statement read.