Ukrainian representative to UN: Russia should be tried for war crimes in Ukraine
The Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations, Volodymyr Yelchenko has called for bringing charges of war crimes against state authorities of the Russian Federation "who instigated, stoked, and backed military aggression against Ukraine". Yelchenko made this statement at the December 6th meeting of the UN Security Council where progress in the International Criminal Tribunals regarding the former states of Yugoslavia and Rwanda was being discussed, Ukrinform reported.
“The criminal prosecution of individuals who are responsible for grave violations of international humanitarian law is a clear signal to those guilty in all conflicts that sooner or later they will face justice,” the Ukrainian diplomat said.
Yelchenko also said this gives hope to all citizens of Ukraine that “war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other grave crimes against human rights committed during the current armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine will not go unpunished and that justice will prevail.”
In a retort to a statement by the Russian delegation that the war in Eastern Ukraine is an internal conflict, Yelchenko stressed that by stating this Russia hopes to “escape a trial at the Hague” but the crimes of the Russian Federation in Ukraine “has no statute of limitation [will never be too late to try in a court].”
As it was earlier reported, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pavlo Klimkin called on foreign partners to unite efforts in countering a hybrid war waged by Russia.