War crimes in Ukraine: Facts matter

International humanitarian law aims to protect civilians in military conflicts. The war in Ukraine, as wars in Gaza and other contemporary conflicts, show that military organisations fail to take the necessary steps to protect civilians. Related to the war in Ukraine, Ukrainian authorities, as well as other states, the International Criminal Court (ICC), the UN, the OSCE and civil society organisations conduct extensive investigations to ensure that there will not be total impunity for all the war crimes committed. A special tribunal for Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine is about to be established, focusing on the criminal responsibility of those who planned, prepared, initiated and executed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
At the event, we’ll take stock of these measures to document war crimes and hold perpetrators to account. Will they lead to better protection of civilians? A new report on war crimes under Russia’s occupation of Balakliia by the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, based on Truth Hounds documentation and open sources, will be presented, as well as a policy brief detailing Russia’s systematic failure to protect civilians in the Afghan, Chechen, Georgian, Syrian, as well as the Ukrainian wars.