U.S. Gov’t Formally Declares Russian Armed Forces Have Committed War Crimes in Ukraine

The State Department announced that the U.S. government reached the formal assessment that the Russian military has been committing war crimes over the course of their invasion of Ukraine.

President Joe Biden is in Europe for a high-stakes NATO summit on the Ukrainian crisis, and on Wednesday, Secretary Antony Blinken released a statement accusing Vladimir Putin of unleashing “unrelenting violence that has caused death and destruction across Ukraine.” After citing “numerous credible reports” on the attacks the Russians perpetrated against civilian targets, Blinken re-affirmed his agreement with Biden “that war crimes had been committed by Putin’s forces in Ukraine” based on all available evidence.

From the statement:

Today, I can announce that, based on information currently available, the U.S. government assesses that members of Russia’s forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine. Our assessment is based on a careful review of available information from public and intelligence sources. As with any alleged crime, a court of law with jurisdiction over the crime is ultimately responsible for determining criminal guilt in specific cases. The U.S. government will continue to track reports of war crimes and will share information we gather with allies, partners, and international institutions and organizations, as appropriate. We are committed to pursuing accountability using every tool available, including criminal prosecutions.

Following Blinken’s announcement, Global Criminal Justice Ambassador Beth Van Schaack held a press conference at the State Department outlining the basis of their conclusions on Russia’s military actions.

“There have been numerous credible reports of hospitals, schools, theatres, et cetera, being intentionally attacked, as well as indiscriminate attacks. Russia’s forces have destroyed apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, other elements of the critical civilian infrastructure,” she said. “We’ve been shocked by images of Russian forces and strikes hitting civilian sites in Mariupol including a maternity hospital, a museum and an art school. The United Nations and other credible observers have confirmed hundreds of civilian deaths, and we believe the exact civilian death toll will be in the thousands.”

Watch above, via CNN.