The United States has had access to “credible” information about war crimes perpetrated by Russia in its invasion of Ukraineespecially attacks targeting civilians, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Sunday.
(Read here: ‘Kiev is a decoy,’ say European military experts)
On the other hand, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin threatened the existence of Ukraine as a state at a time when the invasion launched against the country faces tenacious resistance this Sunday and Moscow’s economy is increasingly suffocated by the wave of international sanctions.
(Also: Minute by minute of what happens live in Ukraine)
“We have seen credible reports of deliberate attacks against civilians, which could be war crimes,” said the head of US diplomacy in an interview with CNN.
Blinken indicated that the US is documenting everything to ensure that organizations dedicated to investigating war crimes have all the necessary evidence.
US President Joe Biden already accused Russia this week of intentionally bombing civilians.
In addition, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said two days ago that he had
information on Russia’s use of cluster bombs, which are particularly devastating against the civilian population because before hitting the ground they randomly release a multitude of small devices. At the request of almost 40 countries, the Prosecutor’s Office International Criminal Court (ICC) opened an investigation in Ukraine for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Russia threatens the West if it continues with sanctions against it
In tune with the cascade of sanctions imposed by Western countries and their allies after
Putin launched the invasion on February 24, the credit card giants Visa and Mastercard announced that they are suspending operations in Russia.
This escalation of sanctions is intended to isolate Moscow, which is also facing a diplomatic, sports and cultural boycott.
On Saturday, Putin launched a harsh threat against the Ukrainian authorities, saying that “if they continue to do what they are doing,” they are putting Ukraine’s future as a “state” at risk. “And if this happens, they will be fully responsible,” the Russian president added.
Since the invasion, the humanitarian and economic cost of the war has intensified and 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine, according to the UN. The authorities have reported that hundreds of civilians have been killed.
The Ukrainian army reported on Facebook that its “main efforts are focused on defending the city of Mariupol.” Mariupol – a strategic port in the Sea of Azov – has been under intense Russian siege for several days, without electricity, water and food and several attempts to evacuate civilians have had to be suspended due to violations of agreed ceasefires.
The fall of this port would mark a turning point in the war because it would allow Russia to unite the troops advancing from the Crimean peninsula – annexed by Moscow in 2014 – with the forces penetrating the country from Donbas, in the east.
The Ukrainian military reported a “fierce battle” with Russian troops for control of the city of Mykolaiv, in the south of the country, and Chernigov, in the north, near the border. There are also contingents fighting in the eastern zone, in Donetsk.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from AFP and EFE
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