This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
Ukrainian lawmakers have outlined a resolution that would designate Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal over for his “aggressive” moves against the country, including launching an unprovoked invasion in February.
The draft resolution was prepared by parliamentary groups and committees and registered at the Verkhovna Rada (Supreme Council) on May 19.
The authors of the resolution linked Putin directly to “the aggressive war against Ukraine,” including the ongoing invasion that he started on February 24, and the annexation of Crimea and the occupation of parts of Ukraine’s eastern regions in Luhansk and Donetsk in 2014.
The draft resolution, which now awaits the setting of a date for debate in parliament, says Putin is directly responsible for the aggression “in which millions of Ukrainians suffered damage to their health, in many cases death, lost movable and immovable property, and were forced to abandon their homes.”
The resolution also mentions Putin’s open statements and activities “aimed at liquidating Ukraine’s national culture, identity, and statehood.”
“The goal of the resolution is to publicly confirm the crimes committed by the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, against mankind’s security and international law, and call on international institutions to investigate mentioned illegal acts and bringing Putin to account,” the document says.
Before launching the invasion, which he calls a “special military operation,” Putin explicitly denied that Ukraine had ever had “real statehood” and said the country was an integral part of Russia’s “own history, culture, [and] spiritual space.”
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) says almost 3,800 civilians have been killed in the 12 weeks since Russia invaded Ukraine. The government in Kyiv has said that about 3,000 of the country’s soldiers have died in the fighting, though the United States estimates the number to be at least double that.
Ukraine has accused Russia of committing atrocities during its unprovoked invasion and said it has identified more than 10,000 possible war crimes. Russia denies targeting civilians and claims that evidence of atrocities presented by Ukraine was staged.
Earlier on May 19, prosecutors in Kyiv asked a court for a life sentence for the first Russian soldier to stand trial on accusations of committing a war crime in Ukraine.
Sergeant Vadim Shishimarin, who went on trial on May 18, has already pleaded guilty in the shooting death of a 62-year-old Ukrainian civilian, Oleksandr Shelypov, who was shot while riding his bicycle in the village of Chupakhivka in the northeastern region of Sumy.
