Russian war crimes

Curated Theft | An investigation into the largest museum heist in Europe since World War II

Russia’s looting of history is a theft of who we are

I first visited the looted museums of Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine, in May 2024. At the time, my team at the Kyiv Independent’s War Crimes Investigations Unit and I were beginning an investigation into the illegal export of artifacts from Kherson to occupied Crimea by Russian forces

Russian forces suspected of killing 6 Ukrainian POWs in Donetsk Oblast

Ukrainian prosecutors are investigating a case of Russian troops summarily executing six Ukrainian captives in the embattled Donetsk Oblast, the Prosecutor General’s Office said on Jan. 23.

'Strongest action possible' — Albanese vows to act if Australian fighting for Ukraine was executed by Russia

Oscar Jenkins, a 32-year-old teacher from Melbourne, was reported captured by Russian forces in December.

Australia making 'urgent inquiries' after reports of volunteer fighter's execution in Russian captivity

Canberra is making "urgent inquiries" about the status of Australian citizen Oscar Jenkins, a volunteer soldier captured by Russia in Ukraine, after unconfirmed reports of his death, the 7News outlet wrote on Jan. 14.

Military: Russian troops dress as civilians in Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast

Aerial reconnaissance footage posted by the brigade on Facebook shows a couple of alleged Russian soldiers dressed in civilian clothes. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the images.

Ukraine secures return of 3 children from Russian-occupied territories, ombudsman says

One of the children, a 17-year-old boy, faced persecution by Russian occupation authorities for his pro-Ukrainian stance and assistance to the Ukrainian army, according to Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.

Russian troops allegedly kill 3 Ukrainian POWs in Donetsk Oblast

Russian troops have allegedly killed three Ukrainian prisoners of war in Donetsk Oblast's Volnovakha District, Ukraine’s ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets wrote on his Telegram channel on Jan. 6.

Russian commander linked to deadly strike in Ukraine severely injured in Russia after explosion

Russian commander Konstantin Nagayko, who was involved in the 2023 missile strike on Hroza, is in critical condition following an explosion, the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported on January 4.

Ukraine becomes party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court

"This means that it (Ukraine) is now a full-fledged state party to this international treaty and has all the rights and obligations assigned to state parties," ICC spokesperson Fadi el-Abdallah told Ukrinform.

Ukraine's police name Russian commander suspected of murder of woman who became symbol of Bucha massacre

Ukrainian National Police named the Russian commander responsible for the murder of Iryna Filkina, the Ukrainian woman who came to symbolize the mass murder of civilians in Bucha in the early stages of Russia's full-scale invasion when a photo of her hand with a red manicure went viral around the world.

Assassinations of pro-war figures seek to demoralize Russia, punish war criminals

The Dec. 17 killing of Russian Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov in Moscow — reportedly by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) — is the most high-profile assassination of a Russian military official to date. It's not the first one, however. Military officials, propagandists, and those seen as collaborators by Kyiv have been assassinated

Ombudsman reacts to alleged Russian execution of Ukrainian POWs

"The video shows how Russian soldiers shot five captured Ukrainian defenders," Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said, referring to drone footage released by the 110th Mechanized Brigade earlier on Dec. 22 that appears to have captured Russian troops shooting surrendered Ukrainian soldiers from behind.

Ukraine war latest: Russian An-72 military transport plane damaged in blast near Moscow, Ukraine's intel claims

Key developments on Dec. 20: * Russian An-72 military transport plane damaged in blast near Moscow, Ukraine's intel claims * Fire, casualties reported in Kyiv amid Russian missile attack * Ukraine charges Russian general with killing Reuters employee in Kramatorsk * Russia captures 'Uspenivka pocket,' Ukraine denies reports of failed breakout * Ukraine begins

Ukraine charges Russian general with killing Reuters employee in Kramatorsk

The strike killed Ryan Evans, a British security adviser for Reuters, and injured six others, including two Reuters journalists.

Russian court orders two-month detention for suspect in General Kirillov assassination

A Moscow court ruled on Dec. 19 to place the suspect in the killing of General Igor Kirillov in pre-trial detention for two months. Kirillov was killed in Moscow on Dec. 17, with a bomb attached to a scooter.

Looking to read Ukraine-related books? We picked the best of 2024

The year 2024 proved to be another landmark for books about Ukraine and Ukrainian literature in translation, with a continued trend in publishing in fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Unsurprisingly, Russia’s ongoing full-scale war against Ukraine was the most common topic among these works. Whether through incisive on-the-ground reportage that

Russia killed at least 109 Ukrainian POWs in 2024, ombudsman says

"In 2024 alone, we can confirm that Russian troops shot 109 Ukrainian prisoners of war," Lubinets said. Reports of murders, torture, and ill-treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war are received regularly by Ukrainian authorities.

Ex-chief of Russian-run Olenivka prison allegedly killed in car bombing in occupied Donetsk

Serhii Yevsiukov, the former head of Russia's Olenivka prisoner of war (POW) camp in the occupied part of Donetsk Oblast, was allegedly killed in a car bombing in occupied Donetsk, the Russian media reported on Dec. 9.

Trial begins in Finland for Russian neo-Nazi fighter accused of committing war crimes in Ukraine

A Finnish court began trial on Dec. 5 for Yan Petrovsky, a Russian neo-Nazi mercenary, for war crimes he allegedly committed while leading a Russian neo-Nazi unit in eastern Ukraine between 2014 and 2015.

Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian forces regain control of Novyi Komar village in Donetsk Oblast

Key developments on Dec. 5: * Ukrainian forces regain control of Novyi Komar village in Donetsk Oblast * At least 6 Ukrainian mayors held captive by Russia, Zelensky says * Ukrainian forces to receive 30,000 DeepStrike drones in 2025 as part of Zelensky's resilience plan, minister says * 'There will be no Yalta-2

Russian general charged in absentia for ordering missile strike on Chernihiv theater in 2023

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) charged Russian Colonel-General Yevgeny Nikiforov in absentia for ordering a missile strike on a Chernihiv theater that killed seven people and wounded 200 in August 2023, the SBU announced on Nov. 30.

Russian troops operated torture chamber for Ukrainians in Belarus in 2022, media reports

The chamber was located on Belarusian government-owned property in the town of Naroulia, not far from the border with Ukraine, the Belarusian Investigative Center reported

Russian soldiers suspected of executing 5 Ukrainian POWs near Pokrovsk

Russian forces apparently shot five unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) in Donetsk Oblast earlier this November, the Prosecutor General's Office said on Nov. 26, launching a war crime investigation.

Russian troops kill 2 civilian women, injure man in Donetsk Oblast's Toretsk, prosecutors say

According to the report, at around 6 p.m. on Nov. 21, Russian soldiers entered an apartment in a residential area of Toretsk and "deliberately" opened fire with automatic weapons on three civilians.

Russian troops suspected of executing Ukrainian POWs in Kursk Oblast, ombudsman says

Russian forces are suspected of summarily executing Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) in Russia's Kursk Oblast, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported on Nov. 20.

Russian soldiers murdered civilian in Donetsk Oblast village, prosecutors say

Pictures shared on the prosecutor's office's Telegram channel show a woman in a pink jacket walking on the outskirts of the village, with a subsequent picture showing her lying on the ground with her face in the mud.

Video shows Russian forces executing unarmed, wounded Ukrainian soldier, Kyiv says

"The occupiers have no limit to cynicism and cruelty," Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said.

Russian court sentences 2 soldiers to life in prison for killing entire Ukrainian family

Anton Sopov, 21, and Stanislav Rau, 28 were convicted of killing a family of nine, including two children, in occupied Donetsk Oblast. The case marks a rare instance of Russian authorities holding its own troops accountable for war crimes perpetrated in Ukraine.

Russia carried out at least 36 double-tap strikes in Ukraine, killing over 100 people since 2022, report says

The Russian military carried out at least 36 double-tap strikes against Ukraine from the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022 to August 2024, killing over 100 people, according to a recent report by Truth Hounds, a Ukrainian non-profit organization that documents and investigates war crimes. Twenty such attacks

Ukraine charges Russian soldier exposed by Kyiv Independent for rape

The Kyiv Independent in June identified Mykola Senenko as raping a woman in Kherson Oblast in March 2022.

Chechnya drone strike: Kadyrov claims to use Ukrainian POWs as human shields

Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov on Oct. 29 apparently boasted about using Ukrainian prisoners as human shields, claiming there were casualties among the captives after a drone strike on Chechnya.