Skip to content
Edit post

NYT: Pentagon bars Biden administration from sharing evidence of Russian war crimes

by The Kyiv Independent news desk March 9, 2023 1:10 AM 1 min read
This audio is created with AI assistance

The Pentagon is blocking the Biden administration from sharing evidence with the International Criminal Court in the Hague gathered by American intelligence agencies about Russian atrocities in Ukraine, New York Times reports on March 8, citing current and former officials familiar with the matter.

"American military leaders oppose helping the court investigate Russians because they fear setting a precedent that might help pave the way for it to prosecute Americans," the New York Times writes.

The rest of the administration, including intelligence agencies and the State and Justice Departments, favors giving the evidence to the court, according to the officials.

The information reportedly includes material about decisions by Russian officials to target civilian infrastructure deliberately and to abduct thousands of Ukrainian children from occupied territory.

International and Ukrainian prosecutors recently analyzed new evidence about at least 20 torture chambers the Russians ran on the right bank of Kherson Oblast over eight months of the occupation. Prosecutors also collected statements from more than 1,000 victims of unlawful detention and torture by the Russian security services in the occupied areas of the region.

Speaking at a justice conference in Lviv on March 3, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv has registered "over 70,000 Russian war crimes" committed in Ukraine since feb. 24, 2022. "Russian President Vladimir Putin and all his accomplices must receive lawful and fair sentences," he added.

Zelensky meets with International Criminal Court prosector in Kyiv

News Feed

7:15 PM

Ukraine's artillery braces for shell shortage as US halts aid.

The Kyiv Independent's Francis Farrell and Olena Zashko spent a day with an artillery crew from the 28th Mechanized Brigade in the front-line city of Kostiantynivka. Following the recent decision by the Pentagon to halt shipments of certain weapons to Ukraine, a looming shell shortage is once again on the horizon for Ukrainian forces.
9:17 AM  (Updated: )

'There is also good news' — Ukrainian drones hit key military optics plant in Russia, General Staff confirms.

Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine's counter-disinformation center, said a drone hit the Azov Optical and Mechanical Plant in the town of Azov, Rostov Oblast. The facility reportedly manufactures critical components for the Russian military, including sights, rangefinders, thermal imaging systems, and fire control equipment for tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, ships, and aircraft.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.