Zelenskyy announces 'Book of Torturers' to hold alleged Russian war criminals accountable

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that a “book of Tortures” will be launched in the country which would document “war criminals and criminals from the Russian army". In the daily night address on Tuesday, Zelenskyy noted, “These are specific facts about specific people who are guilty of specific violent crimes against Ukrainians”. He also said that the creation of this system has been ongoing for some time now, as the Russia Ukraine war entered day 105.

Zelenskyy said, “And such a ‘Book of Torturers’ is one of the foundations of the responsibility of not only the direct perpetrators of war crimes — soldiers of the occupying army, but also their commanders. Those who gave orders. Those who made possible everything they did in Ukraine. In Bucha, in Mariupol, in all our cities, in all the communities they have reached."

Ukrainian president’s remarks came in the backdrop of a 21-year-old Russian soldier being sentenced to life in prison for killing an unarmed old man in Ukraine’s first war crimes trial since Russia announced its ‘special military operation’ in late February. The trial, which took place last month, came amid mounting evidence of alleged Russian war crimes as Ukrainians advanced to recapture or ‘liberate’ areas previously occupied by the Russian army. 

Earlier, in April, Ukraine’s prosecutor general’s office had said that her office was investigating at least 6,000 cases of alleged Russian war crimes with “more and more” proceedings opening each day. However, Russia has repeatedly dismissed the allegations of committing any war crimes in Ukraine and instead, it claims that its forces do not target civilians. 

Zelenksyy says 'Ukraine’s success depends on weapons, sanctions, political support'

Meanwhile, in an interview with Financial Times, Zelenskyy said, “Ukraine's further success in the war against the Russian aggressor and the de-occupation of territories depend not only on the unity of the Ukrainian people and the strength of the Armed Forces but also on the weapons supplied to us by partner states, political support, and consistent Western sanctions policy”.

Image: AP