The videos, which are not linked to this article, show a Ukrainian captive being gagged, castrated, shot and dragged down a street. appeared on Russian Telegram channels, the Kyiv Post reported. Although independent verification of when and where the videos were shot has yet to be possible, Aric Toler, director of research and education for the investigative collective Bellingcat, told the Washington Post that the “Z” symbol was used to support the Russians. . war effort, refutes some claims that the video predates the Ukraine war. This is only the first time that Russian soldiers have been documented to have engaged in the abuse of Ukrainian soldiers, as well as civilians. Since the first days of the war, Ukrainian authorities and international human rights organizations have documented a steady stream of violence. In April, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported 10 witness or victim reports of executions, mock executions, sexual violence and looting in Russian-occupied territories. One woman told HRW that while she was sheltering in Malaya Rohan, a village in the Kharkiv region, she was sexually assaulted and beaten by a Russian soldier. Another witness recounted Russian soldiers making five men kneel with their shirts pulled over their heads before shooting and killing one of them. “Rape, murder and other violent acts against people held by Russian forces should be investigated as war crimes,” Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in the release. The bombing of the prison holding POWs, some of whom were involved in the defense of the Mariupol iron and steel plant, has sparked an even more intense debate about Russian treatment of Ukrainian prisoners and POWs. The attack, in a township called Olenivka, resulted in at least 53 inmate deaths and 75 injuries, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) issued a statement requesting access to those injured “to determine the health and condition of all people who were at the scene at the time of the attack.” According to the Geneva Conventions, Russia is obliged to give the ICRC free access to all prisoners. While the ICRC requested access to the prison where the Ukrainian prisoners died in Olenivka and offered to help evacuate those injured in the attack on the facility, as of Sunday it has not been given permission to do so. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for an investigation, calling the bombing of the facility holding Ukrainian prisoners a war crime. “When the defenders of Azovstal left the factory, the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross acted as guarantors of the life and health of our soldiers. The Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Security Service, the Main Directorate of Intelligence and the representative of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine issued a joint statement addressing the UN and the Red Cross as guarantors of these agreements regarding the defenders of Azovstal. I support this statement. Now the guarantors must react. They must protect the lives of hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners of war,” Zelensky said in a statement. The European Union has already condemned Russia for its “unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine and its people”, noting that the conflict “brings further horrific atrocities day by day”, but is now also voicing support for an investigation specifically into the bombing. Both Moscow and Kyiv have blamed each other for the bombing.

Other abuses

Russia has also engaged in other violations of international law, including the forcible removal and relocation of people, including children, from occupied Ukrainian territories. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova told Reuters in June that she was currently investigating multiple investigations into the forcible transfer of people to Russia. “From the first days of the war, we started this case of genocide,” Benediktova told Reuters. He was unable to provide a figure for the number of casualties transported. The United States State Department suspects that between 900,000 and 1.6 million Ukrainian citizens, including 260,000 children, have been detained and transported to Russia, often to isolated areas.
“Moscow’s actions appear premeditated and draw direct historical comparisons to Russian infiltration operations in Chechnya and other regions. “President Putin’s ‘filtering’ operations are separating families, confiscating Ukrainian passports and issuing Russian passports in an apparent attempt to change the demographic makeup of regions of Ukraine,” Foreign Minister Antony Blinken wrote in the statement. Reports also show that Russia is deliberately separating children from their families and putting them up for adoption.

Meanwhile, dueling diplomacy in Africa and the Middle East

While Russia is losing face and becoming more isolated from the West, the country is digging into other strategic partnerships.
Russia’s allies in the Middle East and Africa have felt pressure from Western countries that expect them to distance themselves from Putin’s actions, creating an uneasy dance based on necessity on both sides. Access to Russia’s grain and other food exports remains a key pressure point for countries in Africa and the Middle East. In east Africa, extreme drought and conflict in Ukraine are pushing countries to the brink, according to a United Nations report. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei V. Lavrov was recently in Cairo as part of his geostrategic trip to Africa, addressing organizations about Russia’s military operations in Ukraine. He said the West pushed Russia to invade after ignoring concerns about NATO expansion. The US is making a geopolitical move of its own by sending President Joe Biden’s ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, to Ghana, as well as Secretary of State Blinken to several African nations in the coming weeks. The head of the US Agency for International Development, Samantha Power, was also recently in Somalia and Kenya.

Hoping for the best, but fearing the worst

International calls to prosecute Russia for its crimes continue to grow, with the European Union urging action in The Hague. “Perpetrators of war crimes and other serious violations, as well as responsible government officials and military representatives, will be held accountable,” the union said in a statement shortly after the Donetsk prison bombings. “The European Union actively supports all measures to ensure accountability for human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law committed during the Russian aggression in Ukraine.” While it is technically possible for Putin and other members of the Russian government to stand trial, the chances of that happening are slim. The International Criminal Court is known for prosecuting crimes against humanity, but is seen as a last resort when all other systems fail. ICC investigators are already working to gather evidence in Ukraine, and while they recognize the court’s jurisdiction, Russia does not, so the ICC can only prosecute crimes committed by Russia within Ukraine’s borders. Since Russia is not one of the 123 countries that are members of the court, any violations of international law committed within its borders cannot be prosecuted. This means that Ukrainians tortured or injured in Russia cannot be helped by the court. Putin and his officials could simply avoid the problem of possible prosecution by staying in power and not leaving Russian borders or the borders of their allies. Because the ICC cannot try defendants who are not present in The Hague for the trial itself and has no mechanism to execute a warrant, it is entirely up to member states to arrest and bring defendants to The Hague. Ukraine has already prosecuted Russian soldiers, with one pleading guilty to killing a civilian and being sentenced to 15 years on appeal. This may be Ukraine’s best course of action toward some kind of justice, however onerous it may be, requiring the monumental task of tracking down Russian soldiers, arresting them, and trying them.