US charges four pro-Russian troops in Ukraine with war crimes

The United States has accused four individuals in a military group affiliated with Russia of committing war crimes against an American citizen in Ukraine, according to judicial authorities announced on Wednesday. 

They noted that this is the first legal pursuit under the US War Crimes Act of 1996.

Attorney General Merrick Garland stated, "The Justice Ministry has initiated the first-ever prosecutions under the US War Crimes Act against four individuals from Russian-affiliated military forces for their commission of heinous crimes against an American citizen."

Garland made these remarks during a joint press conference with Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray.

According to the indictment released on Tuesday, the alleged actions, including torture and inhumane treatment, occurred in April 2022 in the Kherson region in southern Ukraine.

The four accused abducted the victim, a civilian whose name was not disclosed, in the village of Milove and held him for ten days, according to the same sources.

Garland noted that during the victim's captivity, the accused "interrogated him and subjected him to torture, threats of sexual assault, and death."

They are charged with committing three war crimes: unlawful detention, torture, and inhumane treatment, facing a potential life sentence if apprehended by the United States.

AFP