The United States on Wednesday charged four Russian-linked service members with war crimes in connection with the kidnapping and torture of an American citizen in Ukraine.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the charges against four “military personnel with ties to Russia” are the first to be classified under US war crimes laws.
“Just as the world witnessed the horrors of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, so did the United States Department of Justice,” Garland said.
“The Ministry of Justice will work as long as necessary to ensure accountability and justice in the war of Russian aggression.”
The two defendants, Suren Seiranovich Mkrtchyan and Dmitry Budnik, were high-ranking officers of the Russian Armed Forces and the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic.
The other two were lower-ranking soldiers, their names told only as Valeri and Nazar.
“According to the charges, these four individuals violated the human rights of an American citizen on the orders of the Russian Armed Forces and the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic,” said Katrina Berger, deputy director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Bureau of Investigation. .
They were charged with three war crimes: unlawful detention, torture and inhuman treatment. They are also accused of conspiring to commit war crimes.
2023-12-06 16:51:00
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