War Crimes Seem Evident In Ukraine, But Accountability Is Challenging

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🗓️ 7 April 2022

⏱️ 11 minutes

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Summary

Reports of civilians being tortured and killed — and the accompanying images that have surfaced this week in the city of Bucha — have raised questions about potential war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine. The Biden administration is assisting international investigators in looking into potential war crimes. And some experts say the evidence of such crimes is clear in this highly-documented conflict.

But history shows that drawing a straight line between war crimes and heads of state is challenging.

NPR's Scott Detrow spoke with senior researcher at Human Rights Watch, Yulia Gorbunova, about her reporting of alleged human rights violations in Russian-controlled parts of Ukraine.

NPR's Julie McCarthy examines what constitutes war crimes and the prospects of Russian President Vladimir Putin being held to account.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	The streets of Buccia are littered with ash from burnt buildings and vehicles.
0:08.7	So much ash, my colleagues in Ukraine report that it feels like walking on sand.
0:15.9	On a press tour arranged by Ukrainian officials, you can hear a dog barking beside its owner,
0:20.9	whose home was destroyed.
0:22.9	No one's home escaped damage.
0:24.9	I'm still here, but I'm not here.
0:29.9	Volodymyr of Ramov's home saw some of the worst.
0:33.5	And we'll warn you now this episode does include disturbing details about the violence and destruction in this war.
0:39.3	I tried to.
0:40.3	I started extinguishing the fire.
0:42.9	I tried to.
0:44.1	You can see it right there.
0:45.2	He said Russian troops threw a grenade in his window the first night they came and yelled, come out of the house.
0:51.2	They said hands.
0:54.3	Show your hands.
0:56.3	Avramov, his daughter and his son-in-law walked out hands in the air.
1:01.3	The Russian troops, whose government has accused Ukrainians of being Nazis, started asking, who are you?
1:08.3	Where are the Nazis?
1:09.3	There are no Nazis here.
1:13.3	He told them.
1:14.3	Then the Russian troops took his son-in-law, Oleg, to the road.
1:21.3	And Avramov says they shot Oleg in the head.
	...

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