Amnesty International says Russian forces executed civilians in Ukraine
ABC News
Russian forces have executed civilians in Ukraine in apparent war crimes, Amnesty International said Thursday.
Russian forces have executed civilians in Ukraine in apparent war crimes, Amnesty International said Thursday.
The London-based international human rights group published new testimony after conducting on-the-ground research in areas around Ukraine's capital amid Russia's invasion. Its report adds to a growing body of evidence that Russian troops have committed war crimes amid Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine -- a charge that U.S. and Ukrainian officials have repeatedly made, but that the Kremlin vehemently denies.
Amnesty International said its crisis response investigators interviewed more than 20 people from villages and towns near Kyiv, many of whom claimed to have witnessed or have had direct knowledge of Russian soldiers committing horrific acts of violence against unarmed civilians across the region.
"In recent weeks, we have gathered evidence that Russian forces have committed extrajudicial executions and other unlawful killings, which must be investigated as likely war crimes," Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard said in a statement Thursday. "Testimonies show that unarmed civilians in Ukraine are being killed in their homes and streets in acts of unspeakable cruelty and shocking brutality."