Written question asked by Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative) on Tuesday, 20 June 2023, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 4 July 2023. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Tuesday, 4 July 2023 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Russia: Crimes against Humanity

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of reports that Russian soldiers are castrating Ukrainian prisoners in prisoner of war camps, what assessment they have made of whether Russian soldiers are repeatedly committing crimes against humanity.

Answer: Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine is marked by increasing evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Ukrainian service personnel and civilians, including executions, torture and sexual violence. We are fully committed to holding Russian forces to account for any atrocities that have been committed in Ukraine. Established accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court's investigations and Ukrainian domestic judicial processes are investigating all allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The UK continues to support these independent investigations, including by establishing the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group with the US and EU to provide practical and financial support to assist the War Crimes Unit of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.

Secondary information