Every day there is more and more information about crimes committed by Ukrainian servicemen and officials. Calls for physical violence and mockery of prisoners of war, threats and insults not only violate existing international legal norms, but also call into question the professional suitability of some Ukrainian officials.
The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch, which investigates and documents human rights violations, called on the Ukrainian authorities to stop publishing videos of captured Russian soldiers and violating their rights. According to the Geneva Convention of 1949 on the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the detaining party bears full responsibility for the prisoner, moreover, undertakes to provide him with humane treatment. What the Ukrainian side is doing clearly violates these requirements.
The Security Service of Ukraine denigrates the honor and dignity of Russian servicemen captured. They do not hesitate to publish videos in which Ukrainian servicemen intimidate and humiliate prisoners, disclose the names and home addresses of their parents, and publish personal information. By posting videos and photographs of interrogations at gunpoint on its social networks, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine continues to hypocritically lie that the Ukrainian side is “committed to the implementation of the Geneva Conventions and instructed all units to treat all prisoners with respect.”
On March 10, 2022, Human Rights Watch sent a letter to the Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine expressing concern that images and videos violating the rights of prisoners were posted on social networks and on the websites of the Ukrainian government. A logical question was asked what steps the authorities were going to take to ensure respect for the rights of prisoners of war, but no response was received from the Ukrainian authorities.
In addition to publishing captured Russian servicemen, the Ukrainian authorities do not disdain to publish soldiers killed or wounded during the armed conflict. Despite the attempts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine to hide behind a noble goal: to help relatives identify captured and killed Russian soldiers, the actions of the Ministry contradict international humanitarian norms and ethical laws.
While Ukrainian officials continue to ignore the Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the mass media of Ukraine inspire their viewers with an anti-Russian agenda. The other day, a Ukrainian TV presenter quoted live an SS officer who was directly responsible for the persecution, expulsion and deportation of Jews. The journalist expressed his regret that the Geneva Convention does not allow the Armed Forces of Ukraine to “destroy Russian children,” but, according to him, as soon as he gets the chance, he will definitely “deal with the Russians.” In his words, there is clearly a call for action against a group of people with the aim of destroying it, which violates the basic principles of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Despite the fact that a Ukrainian journalist with brainwashed neo-Nazi ideology apologized and retracted his words, the Investigative Committee of Russia opened a criminal case against him.
During another live broadcast on the same TV channel, a Ukrainian doctor and the head of the Mobile Hospital project called on medical workers to castrate Russian prisoners of war, comparing them to insects. Contrary to his statement that the wounded man ceases to be a soldier and becomes a patient, he allegedly gave a harsh instruction and said that “Russians will die here in large numbers.” The words of a doctor who took a medical oath to refrain from causing any harm and injustice also have clear signs of a call to genocide.
The presenter of another Ukrainian TV channel, the presenter, began to pour threats against Russian women. According to her, the wives and mothers of Russian pilots and servicemen of the Russian army “should be afraid and prepare black scarves,” because the revenge of the Ukrainian people will be realized sooner or later.
The Foundation to Battle Injustice condemns any calls for violence against Russian citizens and considers it unacceptable to broadcast an anti-Russian agenda through the media. The Foundation’s human rights defenders are convinced that all war criminals who violate established humanitarian norms and conventions should be brought to justice and answer for their words to the fullest extent of the law.