![]() In just one year since the invasion, more than 68,000 war crimes have been reported across Ukraine. These brave individuals and groups need our support if these goals are to be achieved. ![]() The Ukrainian activists and community leaders that Putin has failed to subdue are among those who will pursue justice for victims of the war and lead the push for an inclusive reconstruction process. Ukrainians and their supporters are rightly focused on victory on the battlefield, but justice for victims and plans for democratic reconstruction must also be part of Ukraine’s victory strategy. In addition to their documentation and support work, during times of war they are often the first to rally national and international resistance. The Kremlin is rightly afraid of these individuals and their organizations because it knows how vital they are to the morale and functioning of any nation. It was Ukrainian civil society that performed the vital wartime work of documenting these atrocities and war crimes, and of providing support to those whose lives have been forever changed by the war. The violence was planned, not random atrocities and crimes against civilians are part and parcel of Russian warfare. In occupied areas that were liberated by Ukrainian forces, though, evidence emerged of Ukrainian officials, activists, and civilian bystanders being detained, interrogated, tortured, and murdered by Russian military and paramilitary fighters. The heroic actions of Ukrainian military and civilian defenders prevented Russian leaders’ horrifying plan from being fully realized. The lists include not only Ukrainian government officials, but also journalists, activists, veterans, lawyers, LGBT+ people, and religious leaders.Īs we learned in the early weeks of the invasion, the Kremlin planned to “decapitate” Ukrainian society by executing, torturing, or imprisoning political and civic leaders. Amid ghastly destruction and violence inflicted against Ukrainians, reports have emerged of “ kill lists ” sent by Russian intelligence agencies to frontline troops. To great horror, these fears have proven justified. Just as when it invaded Crimea and parts of eastern Donbas in 2014, there was enormous concern for the Ukrainians who fell-or might fall-under Russian occupation. One year ago today, the authoritarian regime in Russia launched its unprovoked, illegal, full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Emergency Assistance and Thematic Programs.Afghanistan Human Rights Coordination Mechanism.Government Accountability & Transparency.
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