PGO says 77,500 Russian war crimes already documented in Ukraine

Yuriy Belousov, a senior prosecutor dealing with war crimes, said this on the air of the national telethon, Ukrinform reports.

"We consider the crimes committed by Russian invaders against the Ukrainian people from the perspective of genocide. As of today, we have already recorded 77,500 war crimes in Ukraine. And we see what they have in common. These crimes are united by the unbridled desire of the Russian leadership to destroy Ukraine as an independent country, and Ukrainians -- as a separate independent nation. It is from this angle that we are trying to analyze these murders committed by the Russian Federation in Ukraine, facts of torture, sexual violence, etc.," Belousov said.

According to the prosecutor, the latest video showing the execution of a Ukrainian soldier is more than just a crime, it is part of the overall criminal picture, a manifestation of the real attitude of Russians toward Ukrainians.

"They want to physically destroy us. That is why I hope Ukraine will be able to prove the crime of genocide in national courts and international courts," Belousov said.

At the same time, he noted that the attempt to prove the crime of genocide does not rule out bringing perpetrators to justice for other international crimes, including those against humanity, crimes of aggression, etc.

"Therefore, you need to understand that we will not prove only genocide. As of today, we already have more than 300 people who have been charged with war crimes committed in Ukraine. In addition, we have 647 persons who are representatives of Russia's highest military political leadership, suspected of a crime of aggression. Even without having them physically in our hands, we have sentences and tools to search for their assets abroad and seize them in favor of Ukraine," Belousov explained.

As Ukrinform reported, referring to the UN, starting from February 24 last year and until February 15, 2023, a total of 8,006 civilians, including 487 children, died in Ukraine. A total of 13,287 civilians were injured, including 954 children.

However, the actual number of civilian casualties is much higher, as many reports of alleged civilian deaths or injuries from certain cities and regions have not yet been verified,  the authors of the report clarified.

Ukrainian border guards have been able to identify more than 10,000 persons complicit in Russian war crimes, using the American facial recognition tool Clearview AI.