Ukraine's SBU charges Chechen leader Kadyrov with war crimes
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The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced on Sept. 1 that it had charged Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in absentia with war crimes against Ukrainian soldiers.
Investigators say Kadyrov publicly admitted ordering his fighters to kill Ukrainian troops on the battlefield rather than take them prisoner.
He also allegedly commanded that captured Ukrainian soldiers in Chechnya be placed on the rooftops of military sites in Grozny to serve as human shields against drone strikes.
“These statements are a violation of the laws and customs of war applicable in armed conflicts in accordance with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court,” the SBU said on Telegram.
Based on the new evidence, Kadyrov was notified in absentia of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 438 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, which deals with war crimes. The SBU added that comprehensive measures are ongoing to hold him accountable for crimes against Ukraine and its citizens.
Kadyrov has ruled Chechnya since 2007. Under his leadership, the Chechen Republic has become known as one of the most dangerous parts of the world, infamous for forced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings.
The U.S. and other Western allies have imposed sanctions against Kadyrov and his family over human rights abuses in Chechnya.
Recently, Kadyrov asked Russian President Vladimir Putin if he could resign as head of the Chechen Republic, according to a Russian state-controlled media Chechnya Today report on May 6.
