KYIV, March 24 – The government of the United States has said that Russian military personnel have committed war crimes in Ukraine.

"Today, I can announce that, based on information currently available, the U.S. government assesses that members of Russia's forces have committed war crimes in Ukraine," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an official statement.

According to him, such an assessment is based on a careful review of available information from public and intelligence sources.

Blinken said that, with any alleged crime, a court of law with jurisdiction over the crime is ultimately responsible for determining criminal guilt in specific cases.

"The U.S. government will continue to track reports of war crimes and will share information we gather with allies, partners, and international institutions and organizations, as appropriate. We are committed to pursuing accountability using every tool available, including criminal prosecutions," Blinken said.

As reported, on March 3, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, said that after the appeal of 39 member states of the court, the ICC is launching a full-scale investigation of crimes related to Russia's military aggression against Ukraine. Later, the number of countries applying to the court increased to 41.

In addition, on March 7, the International Court of Justice began public hearings on "Genocide charges in accordance with the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Ukraine v. Russia)." (om/ez)