Russia officially blames Ukrainian officials for committing genocide

Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched a criminal case against Ukraine’s top Defense Ministry officials. The charges are committing genocide.

Russian investigators are pursuing Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Viktor Muzhenko, Ground Forces Commander Anatoly Pushnyakov, National Guard Commander Nikolai Balan, and several other individuals who have not yet been identified.

According to an official statement on the Investigative Committee’s website, the men are suspected of perpetrating genocide and using illegal means to wage war. The statement says that the shelling of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic by Ukrainian armed forces between May 31 and September 1, 2015, constitutes genocide.

In addition, the Main Investigative Directorate of Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched a criminal case against Ukrainian Parliament member Oleg Lyashko and other individuals from the Azov Battalion on charges from Articles A, C, Part 2, page 126, Article D, E, part 2 page 117, part 1 page 356 of the Criminal Code (kidnapping, torture, [and] using illegal instruments and methods of waging war).

The Investigative Committee’s statement says that a result of the shelling of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic by Ukrainian armed forces between May 31 and September 1, 2015, 45 people died, more than 160 people were wounded, and at least 163 civilian infrastructure objects were destroyed.

Russia has launched dozens of criminal cases in connection with the events in Ukraine. Some of the defendants are top Ukrainian officials, including the head of the Ukrainian Security Service, Valentich Nalivaichenko.

Ukrainian officials have also launched criminal cases against Russian officials, including one case against Russian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov.