US formally accuses Russian forces of committing war crimes in Ukraine
ABC News
Secretary of State Blinken announced the State Department finding.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday announced that the State Department has made a formal assessment that Russian forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine.
"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," Blinken said in a statement.
The assessment does not come with any new U.S. sanctions, but it backs a global push for accountability for Russia's artillery and airstrikes on civilians and civilian infrastructure.
President Joe Biden has said he believes Russian leader Vladimir Putin is a "war criminal," an accusation that the Russian government said threatened diplomatic relations between the two countries, already strained to their breaking point over Putin's war against Ukraine.
