US assesses Russian forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine

Secretary of State Antony Blinken says assessment made on 'careful review' of intelligence sources

Shelled buildings in central Kharkiv, Ukraine. EPA

US President Joe Biden's administration said on Wednesday that Russian troops have committed war crimes in Ukraine and that it will co-ordinate with other nations to hold Moscow accountable.

The assessment was based on intelligence gathering and a “careful review” of sources on Russia’s attacks.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken made the announcement nearly a month after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

A firefighter works at a residential district that was damaged by shelling, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine. Reuters

A woman removes pieces of broken glass from a shop window after a bombing in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

Residents clean the street outside apartments damaged by shelling, in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP

A man walks at a residential district that was damaged by shelling, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine. Reuters

Rescuers work at the site of buildings damaged by shelling, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. Reuters

Launch of missiles by the coastal missile system 'Bastion' on infrastructure facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from an undisclosed position in Crimea. As a result of a strike with long-range precision weapons, an arsenal with weapons and military equipment of Ukrainian troops in the village of Orzhev, 14 kilometres north-west of the city of Rivne, two Tochka-U launchers near Kiev, and eight anti-aircraft missile systems were destroyed. EPA

Pictures lie amidst the rubble of former teacher Natalia's house which was was hit in a military strike, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine. Reuters

A Ukrainian serviceman rests at his position in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP

A hug for a child at the railway station in Przemysl, near the Polish-Ukrainian border, as Ukrainian refugees make their way out of the war zone. AFP

Displaced Ukrainians on a Poland-bound train bid farewell at Lviv, western Ukraine. AP

Ukrainian servicemen rest in Kharkiv. AP

A car wrecked and burnt by shelling in a street in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP

A member of pro-Russian unit in uniform without insignia handles a mortar round at a weapons depot near Marinka, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine. Reuters

The aftermath of shelling in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. EPA

Nurses in tears after Russian shelling of a psychiatric hospital in Mykolaiv, southern Ukraine. AFP

Candles and lights form a giant peace sign during the Avaaz vigil in front of the European Council and Commission buildings in Brussels, Belgium. AP

A wrecked car in a ruined street in Kharkiv, Ukraine. AP

Rescue workers at an industrial building damaged by an air strike in Kyiv, Ukraine. Reuters

The monument to the Duke of Richelieu, one of the founders of the city of Odesa, is covered by sand bags. Near by, a placard shows the building before the Russian invasion. EPA

People clean up a room in an apartment building in Kyiv destroyed in an air raid, as Russia presses on with its invasion of Ukraine. Reuters

An instructor shows citizens how to fire the weapon during a shooting training session in Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine. Reuters

Russian troops hurl stun grenades at demonstrators protesting against the invasion, in Kherson, Ukraine. Reuters

Ukrainian servicemen stand guard at a military checkpoint in Kyiv. AFP

Ukrainian refugees Sasha Alexandra and Olena embrace shortly before being allowed to cross into the United States to seek asylum in Tijuana, Mexico. They fled their city of Dnipro this month and travelled to Germany before flying to Mexico. AFP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a broadcast speech in Kyiv, calling on citizens to 'drive the occupiers out'. EPA

An unexploded rocket in a cemetery in Mykolaiv, southern Ukraine. AFP

A portrait of a young woman who died during a Russian attack, next to her fresh grave in the Mykolaiv cemetery. AFP

Tents set up for Ukrainian refugees inside a train station in Bucharest, Romania. AFP

Workers cover a sculpture outside the home of Lviv National Opera to protect it from damage amid fighting in Ukraine. Reuters

Olena, the mother of Denys Snihur, a 25-year-old soldier killed by Russian shelling in the northern town of Ovruch, mourns him at his funeral in Lviv. Reuters

All that is left of a shopping centre after shelling in Kyiv. AP

Civilian volunteers attend a Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces training camp in Brovary, north-east of Kyiv. AP

Refugees at a temporary accommodation centre in a school gymnasium in Taganrog, Russia. EPA

Oil storage tanks burn in Chernihiv, Ukraine, in a satellite image from Maxar Technologies. EPA

President Joe Biden discusses the US response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine at the Business Roundtable CEO Quarterly Meeting. EPA

The wreck of a Russian military vehicle near Kharkiv. EPA

Firefighters work at the site of a shopping centre bombing in Kyiv. Reuters

Seven-year-old Amellia Anisovych, a refugee from Ukraine, sings the Ukraine national anthem at the start of a fund-raising concert in Lodz, Poland. Amellia became known for singing a song from the film 'Frozen' in a bomb shelter in Kyiv. AP

People queue at the National Stadium in Warsaw to apply for ID numbers that will entitle them to work and receive free health care and education in Poland. AP

Checkout tills are damaged at a supermarket in a shopping centre that was damaged in a bombing in Kyiv. Reuters

Cars are damaged at the site of a bombing at a shopping center in Kyiv. Reuters

A woman comforts a boy while refugees wait for Ukrainian police to check their papers and belongings in Brovary, Ukraine. AP

A refugee family sit in front of a tent at a temporary shelter offered by the Free Christian Church in Uszka, Hungary. Getty Images

Firefighters carry a ladder across the debris following Russian shellings that destroyed the Retroville shopping mall in Kyiv. AFP

A rescuer inside a shopping mall damaged by an airstrike in Kyiv. Reuters

“Russia’s forces have destroyed apartment buildings, schools, hospitals, critical infrastructure, civilian vehicles, shopping centres and ambulances, leaving thousands of innocent civilians killed or wounded,” he said.

The US assessment makes specific mention of attacks on civilian infrastructure in the city of Mariupol, including an attack on a maternity hospital and a theatre sheltering civilians.

Mr Blinken added that the US would share information with allies, partners and international institutions that have the task of investigating reported war crimes and crimes against humanity.

“We are committed to pursuing accountability using every tool available, including criminal prosecutions,” said Mr Blinken, who is currently accompanying Mr Biden on a trip to Europe.

This month, the White House said Washington was collecting evidence of possible war crimes, human rights abuses and breaches of international law committed by Russia.

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan also opened an investigation this month into Russia’s conduct in Ukraine.

“I am satisfied that there is a reasonable basis to believe that both alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed in Ukraine in relation to the events already assessed during the preliminary examination by the Office,” Mr Khan said.

Both the US and Russia are signatories to the Rome Statute of 1998 that created the International Criminal Court, but neither country is a member.