US Secretary of State Anthony Blankenship has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has "unleashed unbridled violence that has spread death and destruction across Ukraine."
"I can announce today that, based on the information available, the US government has concluded that members of the Russian military have committed war crimes in Ukraine," he said.
He said the conclusion was reached after "carefully examining information obtained from public and secret sources".
"As with any alleged crime, a court of law which has jurisdiction over the crime is ultimately responsible for determining the health of the crime in certain cases," he added.
An official announcement by the United States would further strain relations with Russia, or perhaps even end them. Last week, US President Joe Biden called Russian President Vladimir Putin a "war criminal." The remarks prompted Russia to warn that relations between the two countries could be severed as a result.
A statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday said, "Such statements by the US President do not embellish a high-ranking government official, which has brought Russia-US relations to the brink of collapse."
Since the start of the offensive on February 24, Russian forces have been barred from advancing further into Ukraine. Initially, after the Russian occupation of some areas in the north, east and south, Ukrainian forces have responded on many fronts.
In response, Russia has stepped up its use of artillery and missiles, wreaking havoc on Ukrainian cities and killing scores of people. According to the United Nations, 953 people have been killed since the start of the war, including 78 children, and the United Nations estimates that number will be much higher.
US Secretary of State Blankenship says Russian forces have "destroyed homes, schools, hospitals, vital facilities, civilian vehicles, shopping malls and ambulances, killing or injuring thousands of innocent civilians."
He accused Russia of targeting buildings that could be clearly identified as civilian buildings, such as a maternity hospital and a theater in the city of Mariupol.
Blanken added that Putin's forces had carried out similar operations in Grozny, Chechnya, Aleppo and Syria, where militants had intensified their bombardment of cities to discourage people. Attempts to do so again in Ukraine have shocked the world, and Ukrainian President Zelensky has seriously stated that Ukraine is bathed in blood and tears.
The results are similar to those of human rights groups investigating the conflict in Ukraine.
Bonnie Docherty, a senior human rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, submitted a written statement to Congress last week in which she said Russia had used cluster bombs and a wide range of explosive weapons. "There have been devastating effects on urban and civic construction in Ukraine."
"Given the documentary outlines of direct and long-term effects, the use of weapons affecting large areas in densely populated areas raises concerns that such attacks are indiscriminate and disproportionate," he said in a statement. Maybe. " Were made which were illegal. Those who carry out such attacks with criminal intent are responsible for war crimes. "
