Tuesday, 14 March ‘23
This week’s overview of key events and links to essential reading.
Also see
Chechen Officer Held 500 Civilians “as Human Shields”
Hostages included people with severe chronic and mental illnesses.
Aggression Tribunal Given Fresh Impetus
High-level summit lays foundation for grouping to investigate Putin and senior Russian leaders.
Ukraine: “You Can't Imagine the Horror”
Tens of thousands of civilians have been taken hostage by Russian forces, but investigations into these potential war crimes are progressing slowly.
Prosecuting Sexual Violence in Ukraine
“Every mistake can be fatal for the human psyche.”
Tuesday, 14 March ‘23
This week’s overview of key events and links to essential reading.
ICC to Issue its First Arrest Warrants Against Russian Individuals
The International Criminal Court (ICC) is expected to issue its first arrest warrants against Russian individuals deemed responsible for the mass abduction of Ukrainian children and the targeting of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.
According to media reports, ICC’s prosecutor Karim Khan would ask pre-trial judges to approve arrest warrants on the basis of evidence collected so far. If successful, it would be the first time ICC warrants have been issued in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Investigation Launched Into Video Showing Shooting of Ukrainian POW
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) registered criminal proceedings for violation of the laws and customs of war (Part 2 of Article 438 of the Civil Code) in response to a video clip allegedly showing the Russian military shooting an unarmed Ukrainian prisoner.
On March 12, the SSU identified the soldier as Oleksandr Igorevich Matsievskyi, 42, a sniper of the 163rd battalion of the 119th separate brigade of the TRO of the Chernihiv region. At the end of December 2022, he was considered missing near the settlement of Krasna Gora in the Donetsk region. According to the SSU, Matsievsky was shot on December 30, 2022. His body was returned home in February 2023.
In the graphic 12-second clip first circulated on Telegram on March 6, a detained combatant is seen standing in a shallow trench while smoking. The soldier, in uniform with a Ukrainian flag insignia on his arm, said “Glory to Ukraine” and is then apparently shot with automatic weapons by a group of Russian soldiers.
The SSU is currently working to identify the Russian military who shot Matsievskyi. Prosecutor general of Ukraine, Andriy Kostin, announced that his office will manage all related procedural activities.
Police Identify Russians Suspected of Multiple Rapes in Kyiv Region
Ukrainian National Police investigators informed in absentia two Russian servicemen of the suspicion of the violation of the laws and customs of war by a group of persons (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 438 of the criminal code).
According to the investigation, in early March 2022, Yevhenii Chornoknizhnyy, 27, and Vadim Shakhmatov, 31, committed multiple rapes during the occupation of the Baryshivka territorial community of the Brovar district, Kyiv region. The men, snipers from the 15th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade (military unit #90600), targetted a group of houses where young women lived specifically to sexually abuse them.
All the reported seven episodes of rape that incriminate the suspects happened on the same day and included minors and a pregnant woman.
DNA Tests Used to Identify the Bodies of About 3,000 Ukrainians
Nearly 16,000 DNA samples have been submitted by Ukrainians searching for dead or missing family members, according to the deputy head of the National Police of Ukraine Maksym Tsutskiridze.
On March 6, Tsutskiridze told reporters that forensic specialists had identified about 3,000 bodies, largely using mobile DNA laboratories, with 2,800 still unidentified due to the lack of comparative DNA material. He added that the police had processed almost 20,000 calls related to missing persons and identification issues since April 2022.
Russian Soldier Suspected of Torturing Civilians in Kherson Region
Prosecutors in Odesa notified in absentia a Russian serviceman on suspicion of violating the laws and customs of war (Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 438 of the criminal code of Ukraine).
According to the investigation, at the beginning of the occupation of the Kherson region, the accused, stationed in the village of Lazurne, was appointed commander and chief of the garrison. He was in charge of four resort villages of the Kherson region and the territory of the Black Sea biosphere reserve.
The suspect personally, as well as responding to specific orders, participated in the detention and torture of local residents with pro-Ukrainian views and illegally seized real estate. He and a group of other servicemen detained the head of a village council in the district of Skadovsky: the man was kept in a basement, beaten and threatened at gunpoint to disclose information about the identity of pro-Ukrainian residents.
