What Are War Crimes? What to Know as Ukraine Accuses Russia
Wall Street JournalMar 08, 2022
Russia shelled cities across the frontline on Fri., including Kharkiv, Sloviansk, Bakhmut, Mykolaiv, and Kramatorsk. The attacks on Mykolaiv and Kramatorsk killed five people and wounded 10 in total, according to Ukrainian officials.
The Ukrainian military also conceded on Fri. that Russian forces have made some gains in the eastern Donetsk region, where Russia has been making a push for the past several weeks and has progressed slowly.
Allegations that Russian forces have been committing war crimes against civilians and Ukrainian soldiers are numerous. The withdrawal of Russian troops from Bucha saw harrowing accounts emerge of civilian executions and torture - the video of a Ukrainian POW is just the latest evidence demanding investigation of the conduct of Russian forces.
There have been many brazenly false claims against both sides in this war, so allegations such as these need to be taken with a grain of salt until independently verified.
There's a 50% chance that Vladimir Putin will be charged with war crimes by the International Criminal Court before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.