US Formally Denounces Russian Crimes in Ukraine as Crimes Against Humanity [1]
On February 18, 2023, US Vice President Kamala Harris announced [3] at the Munich Security Conference that the US has formally found that Russia committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken supported [4] the Vice President’s statement, adding that “members of Russia’s forces have committed execution-style killings of Ukrainian men, women, and children; torture of civilians in detention through beatings, electrocution, and mock executions; rape; and, alongside other Russian officials, have deported hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian civilians to Russia, including children who have been forcibly separated from their families.” Harris and Blinken drew on Article 2(4) [5] of the UN Charter to reaffirm Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as call upon the international community [3] to “collectively renew our commitment to accountability and the rule of law” and not permit Russia to receive impunity for its crimes.