U.S. Declares Russian Troops Committed War Crimes
On March 17th, the United States officially accused Russian troops of committing war crimes against Ukrainian civilians.
Civilians fleeing the cities of Mariupol and Melitopol
The humanitarian crisis in Ukraine reached a head on March 5 when Russia violated a temporary ceasefire to allow civilians to escape the cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha. 215,000 civilians were expected to escape the southeastern cities before their regress was impeded.
In addition to violating the ceasefire, Russia has also committed numerous humanitarian atrocities. After some reluctance, the United States took the crucial step of accusing Russia of war crimes. In a press statement on March 17th, Secretary of State Antony Blinken singled out the city of Mariupol: "As of March 22, officials in besieged Mariupol said that more than 2,400 civilians had been killed in that city alone. Not including the Mariupol devastation, the United Nations has officially confirmed more than 2,500 civilian casualties, including dead and wounded, and emphasizes the actual toll is likely higher."
U..S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken after declaring Russian troops committed war crimes.
Reuters has since reported that local authorities have put the number of civilians killed in the city of Mariupol at 5,000.
The state secretary referenced the general destruction of buildings in the city but noted two specific atrocities in the city. First, the maternity ward at a Mariupol hospital was bombed, leaving three dead. Since this, Russian forces also conducted an airstrike against a theater where several hundred people were taking shelter, according to CNN. The theater housed "civilians, with only women and young children hiding within." The theater had the word "дети," meaning children, written outside and visible to the air and satellite photos of the building. Ukrainian officials say that of the nearly 1,300 civilians taking cover, 300 were killed in the strike.
“Let me make it clear ... we have total destruction of the city of Mariupol.”
Refugees, unable to leave the city, were without heat, food, and electricity, among them, women and children stranded in the bitter winter without these essentials. Many in Mariupol were unable to access potable water or reliable food.
According to the International Red Cross (IRC) in Ukraine, “People report varying needs in medicine, especially for diabetes and cancer patients. But there is no way to find it anymore in the city.” The IRC also reported that pharmacies and grocery stores had been looted. On March 16, some were able to escape, but the IRC reported that "Those that left had little food, water and medicines - including our team."
Those that were able to flee were subjected to strip searches by Russian troops looking for signs of combat. Those who have escaped reported enduring these humiliating searches over a dozen times during their journey.
Some individuals and government officials have claimed that Russia has transferred refugees to so-called "filtration camps." One Mariupol woman declared she was forcibly removed from her bomb shelter and transferred to one such site. Russia has denied forced relocation, using the language of "evacuating" liberated people in cities like Mariupol instead.
Ukrainians looking upon a bombed building.
Russia is employing modern weapons in a medieval war. Putin lays claim to the city based on a millennium of shared history. He has framed this war as a contest between Holy Russia and, as he put it, "radicals and nationalists." This supposed champion of the high ideals of the past has stooped to the brutal warfare of those same times, employing brutal siege tactics and total warfare of rape, kidnapping, and pillaging.