The U.S. Government determined that Russia has committed, Crimes against Humanity, during its War in Ukraine, Vice President Kamala Harris announced Saturday in Germany. “In the case of Russia’s actions in Ukraine, we have examined the evidence, we know the legal standards, and there is no doubt: These are crimes against humanity,” Harris said in a Speech at the Munich Security Conference. She added, “To all those who have perpetrated these crimes, and to their superiors who are complicit in those crimes, you will be held to account.”
The Declaration marks the Strongest accusation yet from the U.S., as it seeks to punish Moscow for its Invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. Government declared last March, that Members of the Russian Armed Forces had Committed War Crimes in Ukraine. President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have said it was their personal opinion that War Crimes have taken place and Biden has gone as far as saying that Atrocities at the hands of Moscow’s Troops qualify as “genocide.”
While the latest “crimes against humanity” determination is significant, it remains largely symbolic for now. It does Not immediately trigger any specific consequences, nor does it give the U.S. the ability to Prosecute the Russians involved with perpetrating Crimes against Humanity. However, it could provide International bodies such as the International Criminal Court, which work to hold Perpetrators accountable, with evidence to effectively try to Prosecute those Crimes.
Harris’ announcement Saturday, comes days before the One-year anniversary of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine. The Vice President is in Germany as a part of the Biden Administration’s efforts, to show commitment to Ukraine’s Sovereignty and Unity among Western Allies, who have provided billions in Aid, Funding, and Weapons, to combat Russia’s Aggression. Biden is scheduled to visit Poland on Monday.
Harris said Saturday, that as a former Prosecutor who began “as a young lawyer in the court room and later running California’s Department of Justice,” she knew “firsthand the importance of gathering facts and holding them up against the law.”
In her Speech, delivered inside the famed Bayerischer Hof hotel in Munich, Harris laid bare some of what could be used as Evidence of Russia’s Crimes against Humanity. The Vice President outlined Specific Instances, that have peppered News Clips and Official Reports. “First, from the starting days of this unprovoked war, we have witnessed Russian forces engage in horrendous atrocities and war crimes,” Harris said.
“Russian forces have pursued a widespread and systemic attack against a civilian population – gruesome acts of murder, torture, rape, and deportation. Execution-style killings, beating and electrocution,” she added. “Russian authorities have forcibly deported hundreds of thousands of people from Ukraine to Russia, including children. They have cruelly separated children from their families.”
Harris’ Speech cited Evidence of Indiscriminate Russian Attacks that deliberately targeted Civilians, including the Bombing of a Maternity Hospital that Killed a Pregnant Mother, and of a Theater in Mariupol, where Hundreds were Killed. The Vice President spoke of the horrific Images out of Bucha that showed Men and Women Shot and left to rot in the streets, and Reports by the United Nations of a 4-year-old Girl who was Sexually Assaulted by a Russian Soldier. “Barbaric and inhumane,” Harris said.
Report says Russian Government is operating network of Camps where it has held thousands of Ukrainian Children since start of War. Since 2022, the U.S. has provided $30 million to support the Investigation of War Crimes and other Atrocities in Ukraine, according to a White House Fact Sheet. The Biden Administration is seeking another nearly $30 million from Congress to bolster efforts on this issue.
As it was when the U.S. Government declared that Russia committed War Crimes last March, it remains to be seen 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.
Still Harris vowed Saturday that the U.S. would support the Judicial process. “In the face of these indisputable facts, to all of us here in Munich, let us renew our commitment to accountability. Let us renew our commitment to the rule of law,” she said. “As for the United States, we will continue to support the judicial process in Ukraine and international investigations because justice must be served. Let us all agree, on behalf of all the victims, known and unknown: Justice must be served.”
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