Russia Has Committed War Crimes In Ukraine, Antony Blinken Says

Russia has committed war crimes in Ukraine by repeatedly and intentionally killing civilians, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday — leveling Washington’s first formal accusation against Vladimir Putin’s military, the NY Post reports.

“We’ve seen numerous credible reports of indiscriminate attacks and attacks deliberately targeting civilians, as well as other atrocities,” Blinken said in a statement. “Russia’s forces have destroyed apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, critical infrastructure, civilian vehicles, shopping centers, and ambulances, leaving thousands of innocent civilians killed or wounded.”

Blinken specifically cited Russia’s air strike on a maternity ward in Mariupol, as well as the destruction of a theater in the southern port city that was being used as a civilian bomb shelter — and marked with the word “children” in large Russian letters.

“Putin’s forces used these same tactics in Grozny, Chechnya and Aleppo, Syria, where they intensified their bombardment of cities to break the will of the people,” Blinken said. “Based on information currently available, the U.S. government assesses that members of Russia’s forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine,” Blinken said. “Our assessment is based on a careful review of available information from public and intelligence sources.” Read more at the NY Post.