(RoyalPatriot.com )- Prosecutors from the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced this week that they are preparing a full inquiry into accusations that Russia is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
On Monday, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova, told reporters in Washington that Russia has deployed the use of vacuum bombs in Ukraine, in violation of international law.
A vacuum bomb is a thermobaric weapon that absorbs the oxygen in a given space causing a significant blast capable of vaporizing humans.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that he had seen reports that Russia was using cluster bombs and thermobaric weapons, adding that there is no doubt Vladimir Putin is using “barbaric tactics.”
While visiting Poland on Monday, Prime Minister Johnson decried the wholesale killing of civilians including children, and warned Putin that the evidence of his actions in Ukraine will be collected and used “in what could be proceedings before the International Criminal Court.”
The UK’s Justice Secretary, who once worked at the International Criminal Court, urged Russian commanders to disobey orders that violate international law, adding “There will be no impunity for war crimes.”
Asked if Putin himself might face trial at The Hague, the Justice Secretary said that those responsible should not be allowed to “wait and hope international attention will move elsewhere.” He cited the case of Radovan Karadzic, who was tried at The Hague for his butchery in the Balkans and now sits in a high-security prison in the UK “where he will see out his days.”
During a press briefing this week, White House press secretary Jen Psaki cited the reports of Russia’s use of cluster bombs and other “barbaric tactics” and suggested that these actions could be considered war crimes.
The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan said on Monday that he expected a full investigation to begin as soon as possible. Khan from a preliminary examination of Russia’s actions it appears that there is reason to believe Russia is committing war crimes and crimes against humanity.
