All Eyes on Ukraine: Our Promise on Russian Accountability - US Ambassador

US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Earle Lee Litzenberger has written an article about Russia's war in Ukraine.

Report presents the article below:

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked and unjust war on Ukraine has unleashed horrific violence and caused immense death and destruction. The world has witnessed the horrors of this war in the images from Ukrainian towns like Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel, and in Ukrainian towns and cities still held or besieged by Russian forces, such as Mariupol.

The Azerbaijani people have seen this destruction and violence when they have turned on their televisions, and in first-hand accounts from friends and family. I am deeply saddened by the loss of life in Ukraine, including the tragic deaths of innocent Azerbaijani citizens – women and children, young adults, and even a newborn baby.

This violence has taken the form of attacks that have injured and killed civilians and destroyed civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, schools, a theater where children were sheltering, and a busy railway station, resulting in a national, collective trauma for Ukrainians that will never be truly erased. The Azerbaijani consulate was damaged by an attack. Thousands of Azerbaijani citizens live and work in Ukraine and have been directly affected. In response, Azerbaijan has supported the people of Ukraine with humanitarian aid, medical supplies, and fuel.

These horrifying events in Ukraine do not appear to be isolated incidents or cases of individual soldiers ignoring orders. They involve reports of what appears to be a deliberate, troubling campaign and a deeply disturbing pattern of torture, rape, murder, and other atrocities. Those responsible for these atrocities – including those who ordered them – must be held to account.

Attacks like the April 28 missile strike on Kyiv demonstrate a blatant disregard for civilian lives. As of May 23, the United Nations has officially confirmed the deaths or wounding of more than 8,400 Ukrainian civilians, while emphasizing that the actual toll is likely considerably higher. These numbers do not include Mariupol, a city in which officials said that more than 10,000 civilians have been killed. Among the victims in Mariupol was a 91-year-old Holocaust survivor, who perished in a basement during the Kremlin’s siege. Having withstood the Nazis, she lost her life to Russian aggression.

President Biden and Secretary Blinken have condemned the apparent war crimes that members of Russia’s forces have committed in Ukraine. The United States is supporting a range of international investigations into atrocities in Ukraine. This includes those conducted by the International Criminal Court, the United Nations, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). We are also supporting civil society and NGOs documenting human rights abuses.

There is strong international consensus that the conduct of the Russian state is intolerable and those responsible must not go unpunished for unleashing such violence and for blatantly violating the principles that undergird international peace and security. Together with our Allies and partners, we will pursue accountability for war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine using every tool available, including criminal prosecutions, as appropriate.

Our direct message to Russia’s military and political leadership, as well as its military rank and file who commit war crimes or other atrocities, is this: the world is watching, and you will be held accountable. We remember the photos from devastated towns like Bucha, where Russian forces committed atrocities. These images are horrific, and the U.S. government is committed to pursuing accountability, we will remember, we will not stand quiet. I am heartened by how the Azerbaijani government and people have sent humanitarian aid to help in Ukraine. I know, you too, will not soon forget this tragedy.

We will continue to provide Ukraine the weapons and equipment that it needs to defend itself, and we will continue to provide humanitarian assistance for those affected by the Kremlin’s brutal, senseless war.

Earle Lee Litzenberger