Ukraine-Russia war: Moscow accused of over 5,000 crimes of aggression
What's the story
In the six weeks since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began, Moscow has been accused of 5,149 crimes of aggression and war crimes, Ukraine's foreign ministry said on Friday. This came even as over 50 people—including children—were killed in a rocket strike on a railway station in eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk where evacuations were ongoing on Friday. However, Russia has denied launching the attack.
Context
Why does this story matter?
The development came as the Russia-Ukraine war entered its 45th day on Saturday. The shocking incident also came just days after the Russian government was accused of mass civilian killings in Bucha—a town near Ukraine's capital of Kyiv—after pictures of dead bodies scattered across the streets emerged. Following the Kramatorsk rocket attack, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russia an "evil with no limits."
War crimes
Here's what Zelenskyy said on Russian war crimes
According to reports, during his nightly video address to the nation on Friday, President Zelenskyy said, "Like the massacres in Bucha, like many other Russian war crimes, the missile attack on Kramatorsk should be one of the charges at the tribunal that must be held." "They are cynically destroying the civilian population. And if it is not punished, it will never stop," he added.
Evidence
Ukraine intercepts Russian troops' communications providing evidence of war crimes
Zelenskyy also claimed Ukraine's security service had intercepted Russian troops' communications, which presented evidence of war crimes. "There are soldiers talking with their parents about what they stole and who they abducted. There are recordings of prisoners of war who admitted to killing people. There are pilots in prison who had maps with civilian targets to bomb," he said, adding investigations are also underway.
Rape
Russian soldiers accused of horrific crimes, including rape
Meanwhile, Ukraine has also accused Russia of committing horrific war crimes, including rape. "Ukraine's ombudsperson reports horrific facts of rape by Russian soldiers in Kyiv suburbs. They probably commit the same unspeakable crimes in the occupied towns... European politicians can stop this madness by imposing an oil and gas embargo on Russia. Do it now!" tweeted Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, on Friday.
Russia-Ukraine
Humanitarian cost of Russian invasion of Ukraine
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began—according to the United Nations—over four million people have been displaced, with thousands killed or injured, in one of the world's worst refugee crises in recent times. The war has prompted sweeping sanctions against Russian oligarchs and companies. Meanwhile, Ukraine claimed that about 19,000 Russian personnel have so far been killed since February 24, when the Russia-Ukraine war started.