(CNN) The US government has formally declared that members of the Russian armed forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement Wednesday.
The official US declaration that Moscow's troops had violated the laws of conflict comes after Blinken, President Joe Biden and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman all said it was their personal opinion that war crimes have taken place.
"Today, I can announce that, based on information currently available, the US government assesses that members of Russia's forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine," Blinken said in a statement.
"Our assessment is based on a careful review of available information from public and intelligence sources," he said.
The decision to issue a formal accusation marks a significant step by the US government after weeks of declining to officially say that the attacks committed against civilians in Ukraine were war crimes. It remains to be seen, however, whether there will be any accountability for those accused of carrying out the alleged crimes, and whether Russian President Vladimir Putin himself will be forced to bear any responsibility.
ednksu on March 23rd, 2022 at 19:37 UTC »
Important point of clarification for the US to make. It's one thing to say something with this kinda of gravity, but another to say you have the proof of law behind it. I wonder if this changes anything for sanctions.
Ben_Wah_Balls on March 23rd, 2022 at 19:00 UTC »
Russia: “you do know we have nukes right?”
World: “yes you’ve said that since the Cold War”
Janiculus on March 23rd, 2022 at 18:19 UTC »
I know a direct conflict between NATO/USA and Russia is extremely unlikely, but seeing a headline starting this way and with a fair amount of upvotes had me do a double check