Tuesday, 23 Jul ‘24

Evidence of Use of Anti-Personnel Mines Against Civilians 

Investigators are preparing a large-scale evidence base showing that Russian forces deliberately use anti-personnel mines against the civilian population, in violation of international law and laws and customs of war. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) reported that the evidence gathered will be sent to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. 

According to the investigation, the Russian military purposefully sets mine traps near or on the territory of populated areas, using various items to camouflage them, including children's toys and candy boxes. 

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russian explosive devices have injured more 1,000 civilians and killed 297; the largest number of cases were recorded in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions. 

Police Investigating Shooting of Two Ukrainian POWs 

Police in Zaporizhzhia opened an investigation into the shooting of two Ukrainian prisoners of war, in a case that violates the laws and customs of war, combined with intentional murder (Part 2 of Article 438 of the criminal code) and breaches the Geneva Convention. 

According to the Prosecutor General's Office on July 10 a video showing the killing of two Ukrainian servicemen captured by the Russian military was distributed on the internet. The killing reportedly took place in June 2024, near Robotyne, a village in Zaporizhzhia region. 

Two Russian Soldiers Issued Suspicion Over Torture in Kherson 

Police investigators in Kherson reported in absentia the suspicion against two Russian soldiers, Mikhail Selkov,  43, and Alexey Atmeneev, 44, on charges of brutal treatment of the civilian population in violation of the laws and customs of war (Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 438 of the criminal code. 

According to the investigation, in June 2022 the suspects, together with a group of Russian soldiers, searched the apartment of a 50-year-old man in then-occupied Kherson. They beat him, accusing him of cooperation with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and then detained him. The victim was kept in the seized building of the National Police where he was beaten and interrogated again. He was forced to give an interview to the Russian media in which he confessed to actions he did not commit. After almost a month imprisoned in Kherson, the victim was transferred to another place of detention in Donetsk region. The suspicion does not specify the victim’s current whereabouts.  

Russian Accused of Looting Identified  

The security service (SBU) in Chernihiv issued asuspicion in absentia against Fail Khusnutdinov, a sergeant from Russia's Kemerovo region who is accused of looting during the occupation of the region in spring 2022. He is charged of violating the laws and customs of war as per Part 2 of Article 28 and Part 1 of Article 438.  

According to the investigators, the 36-year-old Russian soldier, together with other servicemen, destroyed and looted a local enterprise in the village of Andriivka in March 2022. They reportedly destroyed sensors and video surveillance systems, took computers and laptops, household appliances, furniture and office supplies, including photocopy machines, chainsaws, engines, pumps, scales, microwaves and chairs, to a total value of about 315,000 hryvnias (8,000 US dollars). 

Ukraine Plans to Ratify Rome Statute, Says President’s Office   

Ukraine has resumed work on the ratification of the Rome Statute, according to Iryna Mudra, deputy head of the office of the President of Ukraine. In an interview Mudra said that she personally supports the ratification as do the relevant parliamentary committees, stating that she aims “to resolve the issue of ratification by the end of this year.” 

The Rome Statute is the founding document of the ICC, defining its functions and operations. Ukraine is not a party to it: it signed it in January 2000, but never ratified it, although the ratification is one of Ukraine's direct international obligations of the EU Association Agreement signed in 2014. Despite not being a party, Ukraine uses a special procedure for recognising the court’s jurisdiction for non-member states that want the ICC to investigate international crimes committed on their territory.