The United Nations will investigate war crimes in Ukraine. After the February raid of this year, images of people being killed on the street often surfaced, as well as stories of torture chambers. “It’s nice to single out a culprit, but how will he be prosecuted?”
Later today, the United Nations will hold a press conference from Kiev where more information on the investigation will be announced. It will be established that war crimes were committed by Russia in Ukraine. We have seen the images of the liberation of the area around Kiev,’ says Patrick Bolder, a defense analyst at the Center for Strategic Studies in The Hague. “Many facts will be put on the table which will make it clear that war crimes have actually been committed.”
Earlier this week, Foreign Affairs Minister Hoekstra hinted at a special court to investigate the crimes. There’s a lot to do, says Bolder. ‘Assigning blame is fine, but how do you handle it? These people are to be extradited and tried in court. If the state of Russia will be tried, only this is also very difficult.’
The European Commission wants to try Russia’s ‘aggression’ with a new special court. In addition, he wants to temporarily invest frozen Russian assets to earn money for Ukraine. Russia is guilty of “aggression against a sovereign country,” according to commission chair Ursula von der Leyen. The International Criminal Court could prosecute those responsible, except that Russia does not recognize this court. According to Bolder, a court like the Yugoslavia Tribunal is not an obvious choice.
The Russian response to the investigation will be a flood of information that should prove that Ukraine has also committed war crimes, Bolder says. “We know Russia’s tactics, they come with a large amount of contradictory information, where the real truth will be submerged.”
Tens of thousands dead
The Ukrainian army has so far lost between 10,000 and 13,000 soldiers in the war against Russia, Ukraine says. The previous statement dates back to the end of August, when the army chief reported nearly 9,000 military dead. Internationally, a number of 100,000 dead and wounded is mentioned, but this strikes a sensitive chord in Kiev. According to Bolder, the number cited is «very few, but keep in mind that for every dead person there are also three wounded. This means that more than 40,000 Ukrainians have been eliminated.’
“We have official figures from the General Staff, we have official figures from the highest command, and they are between 10,000 and 12,500-13,000 dead,” Andrey Podoljak, top adviser to President Volodimir Zelensky, said on television. “We are open about the number of dead,” he said, adding that more soldiers were wounded than killed.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
