US Files War Crimes Against Russian Soldiers Accused of Torturing Americans in Ukraine
The Justice Department has filed charges against Russian soldiers accused of torturing an American living in Ukraine.
The war crimes were announced by Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday.
US files first-ever war crime charges accusing Russian soldiers of torturing American in Ukraine https://t.co/jO2EVfDVW2 pic.twitter.com/mDpKk2TWLp
— New York Post (@nypost) December 6, 2023
“As the world has witnessed the horrors of Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, so has the United States Department of Justice,” Garland told a news conference.
"The victim, who was not identified, was kidnapped from his home in the village of Mylove in the Kherson region in southern Ukraine in April 2022 and held captive by the Russians for 10 days," it added.
BREAKING NEWS: DOJ charges 4 Russian fighters with committing war crimes against US nationalhttps://t.co/dcIofyl6BM
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 6, 2023
"The indictment charges Suren Seiranovich Mkrtchyan, 45, Dmitry Budnik, Valerii LNU (last name unknown), and Nazar LNU in connection with their alleged unlawful detainment of a U.S. national in the context of the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine," Fox News reported.
"The defendants are alleged to have interrogated, severely beaten, and tortured the victim," it continued.
The soldiers also reportedly threatened to kill the victim, according to the Justice Department's statement.
The charges mark the first time the U.S. has charged a Russian soldier with a war crime since the start of the Ukraine war.
The move also comes as the Biden administration seeks to secure even more funding for military assistance to Ukraine.
The latest charges may help win waning American public support in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. The case also comes as Republicans helped to block legislation in the Senate that sought to pass a bill including more support for Ukraine alongside Israel and Taiwan, forcing lawmakers to come up with a revised policy with a better chance of moving forward.
