The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has formally unsealed war crime charges against four Russian soldiers. Each of the four has been charged with three war crimes—unlawful confinement, torture and inhuman treatment—and one count of conspiracy to commit war crimes.
The charges arise from an incident that occurred two months after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. As per the indictment, an allaged abduction of an American by Russian soldiers forms the basis of these charges. The American, who lived in Southern Ukraine but had not fought or participated in the conflict, was defined as a “protected person” under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
According to the indictment, the Russian military personnel involved, which included two officers and two lower-ranked soldiers, are accused of handcuffing, photographing, and assaulting the American victim with their gun stocks. Further allegations include subjecting the man to torture and forced manual labor at a makeshift Russian compound, along with threats of sexual assault and sustained physical abuse.
Nicole M. Argentieri, Acting Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ’s Criminal Division, emphasized that torturing and unlawfully confining a protected person are serious human rights abuses that must not go unpunished.
The counterterrorism section of the DOJ’s National Security Division is tasked with the investigation and prosecution of instances involving torture, genocide and war crimes. The team has been launched as part of the effort to centralize and intensify ongoing work to hold accountable those who commit war crimes and other atrocities.
Apart from the DOJ’s efforts, the human rights group Truth Hounds claims that it has documented 6,400 war crimes in Ukraine since the country was invaded by Russia.
US Attorney General Garland acknowledged the successful collaboration of the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security in these investigations, referencing their offices in Kyiv, Warsaw, and Moscow. The FBI Director, Christopher Wray, commented that although this is the first instance of the War Crimes Act of 1996 being charged in U.S. history, the FBI has a longstanding record in investigating war crimes.
Be advised that despite formal charges, none of the defendants are currently in custody. Individuals accused of war crimes face the maximum penalty of life imprisonment under US law.