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The Ukrainian prosecutor general's office said on Tuesday it was investigating the blast at the Nova Kakhovka dam, situated in Russian-occupied territory, as a war crime and possible act of environmental destruction, or "ecocide". Kyiv said this was a war crime, while Moscow said the targets were legitimate. WHAT DOES INTERNATIONAL LAW SAY? The Geneva Conventions and additional protocols shaped by international courts say that parties involved in a military conflict must distinguish between “civilian objects and military objectives”, and that attacks on civilian objects are forbidden. IS ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE MILITARY OR CIVILIAN?

Persons: Dmitry Peskov, general's, Marko Milanovic, Michael Schmitt, Milanovic, Katharine Fortin, Stephanie van den Berg, Anthony Deutsch, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS, HAGUE, Russia, Criminal, European, of International, University of Reading, ICC, Lieber Institute for Law & Warfare, United States Military Academy West, Utrecht University, Thomson Locations: Nova, Kherson region, Ukraine, Geneva, Ukrainian, Dnipro, Russia, Moscow, Rome

☆ In This Satire, Televised Blood Baths Offer Prisoners a Path to Freedom
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Giri Nathan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

What all these fighters seek is freedom, a word that appears capitalized throughout the book, like a term of art or faith. It comes in two types: Low Freedom (death, however it might find them) and High Freedom (pardon, commutation or clemency after three years survived on the circuit). If you recoil at that unholy fusion, that’s kind of the point; and the author keeps pulling off this shock, page after page. Adjei-Brenyah has a fine intuition, an almost spatial sense for what we need to see and what we don’t. His names are crisp, like Sunset Harkless (a man) and Spinifer Black (a spear), and his compact euphemisms a gift.

☆ International Criminal Court cements Putin's pariah status with arrest warrant for alleged war crimes — illegally snatching kids from Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin has allegedly committed war crimes in Ukraine, the ICC said in a Friday statement. He's been accused by the court of orchestrating involvement in illegally transferring children from Ukraine to Russia. The Netherland's based court alleged these crimes have been carried out since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022. The UN said many of the actions, including the transfer and deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia, "amount to war crimes."

☆ Russians intensify assault on Bakhmut, Ukrainian forces try to dig in
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Ukrainian aircraft launched three strikes on areas of concentration of Russian forces, according to a statement by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Tuesday night. Bakhmut had a pre-war population of around 70,000 but has been ruined during months of fighting as a focal point of Russian assaults and determined Ukrainian defence. A Russian takeover of Bakhmut would open the way to seizing the last remaining urban centres in the industrial Donetsk province. 'GRINDING SLOG'[1/4] Ukrainian service members ride BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, near the frontline city of Bakhmut, Ukraine February 27, 2023. The meeting will be attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Britain's James Cleverly, while China is expected to send its foreign minister, Qin Gang.

☆ ICC's top prosecutor in Ukraine to probe Russian attacks on power grid
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Mike Collett-White | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

[1/3] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and ICC Prosecutor Karim A. A. Khan QC meet, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine February 28, 2023. ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan said. Andriy Kostin, Ukraine's Prosecutor General who accompanied Khan to the bomb site, praised the cooperation between his offices and those of the ICC. Kostin's office said that tens of thousands of Russian attacks had been launched on infrastructure and civilians which had no military justification.

☆ The Ukraine war has killed hundreds of thousands of people. His job is to collect the bodies.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Katie Livingstone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

This could translate to tens of thousands of bodies left behind — and many years of work for the body collectors. In 2014, when Russia invaded Crimea and the Donbas region of Ukraine, Yukov helped start the Black Tulip mission. The retrieval process is identical for Ukrainian and Russian bodies, Yukov said. Ukrainian bodies are returned as quickly as possible to their grieving families, while Russian bodies are transferred to Ukrainian government hands so that they can be exchanged for Ukrainians in the possession of Russian forces. Denys Sosnenko, a former Ukrainian national kickboxing champion also from Sloviansk, was killed driving over a buried anti-tank mine while on a Black Tulip mission.

☆ U.S. weapons sales to get stricter human rights review under Biden
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"We are looking at a policy of prevention when there is a risk of violation of human rights," one official said. Biden's administration was criticized last year for approving the potential sale of radars and aircraft to Egypt despite what Human Rights Watch called Egypt's "atrocious human rights record." Reuters reported in 2021 that the Biden administration was considering a CAT policy shift to emphasize human rights. For example, Senator Bob Menendez, Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, opposes the sale of Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft to Turkey for reasons including disregard for human rights. He rolled out a CAT policy in 2018 that gave commercial concerns as much weight as human rights in deciding whether to approve weapons sales.

☆ Exclusive: U.S. to vet human rights more closely before approving arms deals, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Defense companies and activists scrutinize such policies for insight into the administration's posture as it balances commercial interests of exporters like Lockheed Martin Co (LMT.N) and Raytheon Technologies (RTX.N) against the country's stated commitment to human rights. One change is how the CAT policy addresses the possibility that arms from the United States could be used for major human rights violations, the officials said. Previous CAT policy had said such transfers would not be authorized only when Washington had "actual knowledge" that the arms would be used in such actions. "We are looking at a policy of prevention when there is a risk of violation of human rights," one of the officials said. For example, Senator Bob Menendez, Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, opposes the sale of Lockheed Martin F-16 aircraft to Turkey for reasons including disregard for human rights.

☆ Russian forces have relocated at least 6,000 Ukrainian children to camps since start of war, new report says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Amanda Macias | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

WASHINGTON — Russian forces have moved at least 6,000 Ukrainian children to camps and facilities across Russia for forced adoptions and military training, according to a new report. The allegations detailed in the 35-page report, such as the abduction or detention of children, may constitute war crimes or crimes against humanity. Earlier this month, Ukraine's prosecutor general, Andriy Kostin, said that regional authorities have logged more than 65,000 Russian war crimes since Moscow invaded Ukraine nearly a year ago. Kostin said his teams have also documented more than 14,000 Ukrainian children forced into adoption in Russia. At the time, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the conduct may breach international humanitarian agreements and constitute war crimes.

☆ Explainer: When are attacks on civilian infrastructure war crimes?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Stephanie Van Den Berg | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Gleb GaranichTHE HAGUE, Dec 16 (Reuters) - Russia's attacks on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, including energy facilities, have been described as possible war crimes by the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and Amnesty International. The Geneva conventions and additional protocols shaped by international courts say that parties involved in a military conflict must distinguish between "civilian objects and military objectives" and that attacks on civilian objects are forbidden. IS ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE MILITARY OR CIVILIAN? "Simply put, Russian forces are almost certainly striking many targets that do not qualify as military objectives," Schmitt argues. Russia says it attacks military targets including energy infrastructure.

The visit by a team from Global Rights Compliance, an international legal practice headquartered in The Hague, has not previously been reported. More than 50,000 alleged incidents of international crimes have been reported by Ukraine's prosecutor general since Russia's full-scale invasion. Widespread or systematic sexual violence could amount to crimes against humanity, generally seen as more serious, legal specialists said. He added that more than half said they had been subjected to various forms of sexual violence. UNIQUE CHALLENGESElderfield said sexual violence was not always given the prominence it should have in national and international investigations.

☆ Pentagon now more likely to support Ukrainian long-range missile attacks on Russia, The Times reports
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Bethany Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Pentagon is now more likely to supply Kyiv with longer-range weapons, according to The Times. Putin has warned that the US would be "crossing a line" if they were to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles. It is now more likely to supply Kyiv with longer-range weapons to strike deep into Russia, according to The Times. The Times also suggested that the US could supply Ukraine with hi-tech long-range weapons, including missile launchers and heavily-armed drones. President Putin has warned that the US would be "crossing a line" if they were to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles.

☆ Ukraine says Russia has abducted more than 13,000 children since the invasion began. A rights watchdog called it a war crime
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia has deported 13,000 children from Ukraine since the start of the war, an official said Friday. Throughout the war in Ukraine, Russia has faced numerous allegations of atrocities and war crimes, many of which are backed by substantial evidence. Russia asserts that the deported children are orphans. In May, Russia changed its laws to allow Ukrainian children to be granted Russian citizenship, paving the way for them to be given to Russian families. Van Esveld said around 160 Ukrainian children have reportedly been adopted under that process.

However, the patterns suggest that sexual violence “maybe even more frequent” in territories that were occupied for longer periods, he added, without providing evidence. Widespread or systematic sexual violence could amount to crimes against humanity, which are generally seen as more serious, legal specialists said. Moscow, which has said it is conducting a “special military operation" in Ukraine, has denied committing war crimes or targeting civilians. Evidence that sexual violence was planned could indicate it was part of a systematic attack or that some level of command was aware, said Kim Thuy Seelinger, an advisor to the ICC on sexual violence in conflict and a research associate professor at Washington University in St. Louis. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s office said it has opened dozens of criminal cases involving sexual violence by members of the Russian armed forces against women, children and men.

CNN —Dozens of people have been killed in military airstrikes that hit a celebratory event in Myanmar’s mountainous Kachin state on Sunday, according to local news outlets and international organizations. Reuters and local news outlet The Irrawaddy reported at least 50 people were killed. CNN cannot independently verify the number of reported deaths and has reached out to the military for comment. Kachin Alliance, a Kachin community organization based in Washington, DC, said Kachin artists, local elders, and KIO leaders were among those killed. The attack on Sunday drew international condemnation, with the United Nations saying it was concerned over reports of more than 100 civilians impacted.

☆ A 26-year-old Ukrainian woman described being tortured with electric shocks and hammers while held in Russian captivity for 6 months: 'They treated us like animals'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A woman identified as Hanna O. said women in Russian captivity were treated like animals. The 26-year-old was part of a prisoner exchange last week that saw 108 Ukrainian women released. Her story adds to the firsthand accounts describing torture by Russian forces. She was among the Ukrainian service members who surrendered in May after being trapped in the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol for weeks as Russian forces surrounded and bombed it. Even the dogs are not given such food," Hanna told Ukrinform about how the women were treated.

☆ Factbox: Russian martial law in parts of Ukraine - what will it mean?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Oct 19 (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday declared martial law in four partially occupied regions of Ukraine that Russia claims as its own. Although Russia has unilaterally annexed and does not fully control any of the four regions - Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia - it is imposing martial law there as if they were Russian territories. However, a partial mobilisation has already taken place in Russia and been extended to the occupied regions, so it is unclear if more men will be called up. The decree says that under martial law, authorities will have the power to enact measures to "meet the needs of Russia's armed forces", and that "territorial defence" will be carried out. Saldo announced on Wednesday that 50,000-60,000 people would be evacuated from part of the Kherson region over the next six days as a Ukrainian counteroffensive gathers pace.

☆ Moscow blocked access to a Ukrainian website for Russian soldiers who want to surrender after it was bombarded with requests
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Russian government on Sunday blocked access to a Ukrainian site for soldiers who want to surrender. The Roskomsvoboda Project, a Russian anti-censorship organization, reported the Prosecutor General's Office blocked the site. On Sunday, The Roskomsvoboda Project, a non-governmental Russian anti-censorship organization, reported that access to the site had been blocked under the authority of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office. "The project was blocked twice… The first time was by a "mask" when access to all domains and subdomains was restricted, the second was just the entire website," Russian newspaper Kommersant reported the Roskomsvoboda Project said of the blocked site. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which runs the Hochu Zhit website, and the Government of the Russian Federation did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

☆ Russian troops raped and tortured children in Ukraine, U.N. panel says
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Russian troops have raped and tortured children in Ukraine, carried out a “large number” of executions and committed other war crimes, according to a United Nations investigation by legal experts. “Based on the evidence gathered by the commission, it has concluded that war crimes have been committed in Ukraine,” Erik Mose, the chairman of the three-member commission, told the U.N. Human Rights Council. Mose, a Norwegian judge, said the commission has documented cases in which children have been "raped, tortured and unlawfully confined." Children also have been killed and wounded in “indiscriminate attacks” by Russian forces using explosive weapons, he said. Russia has denied committing war crimes and defended its conduct of the war since it launched the invasion Feb. 24.

☆ I'm a photographer who covered 9/11 and its aftermath. Here are the most gripping photos I took, and the stories behind them.
▼ + stars: | 2001-09-11 | by ( Alan Chin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +21 min

A month after that, I got an assignment to go to northern Afghanistan. Their soldiers had repelled a Taliban offensive in 1997, and massacred thousands of the Taliban prisoners they had captured. Air Force flights from as far away as Germany were dropping American military and humanitarian food packets in an effort to win hearts and minds. This was taken aboard the ferry connecting the east and west sides of the American military base. Even as the American war in Afghanistan ends in both ignominy and relief, the conflicts there and in dozens of other places continue.

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