US Launches Observatory To Analyze Evidence Of Alleged War Crimes In Ukraine - State Dept.

The United States has kicked off a new program to collect and assess potential evidence of alleged war crimes in Ukraine, the State Department said on Tuesday

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2022) The United States has kicked off a new program to collect and assess potential evidence of alleged war crimes in Ukraine, the State Department said on Tuesday.

"The US Department of State is announcing the launch of a new Conflict Observatory to capture, analyze, and make widely available evidence of Russia-perpetrated war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine," the release said.

Russia's Investigative Committee head Alexander Bastrykin has ordered investigations into all circumstances of mistreatment and executing of Russian soldiers in Ukraine while the head of the Russian National Defense Control Center, Col. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev, who also leads Russia's humanitarian response coordination headquarters, said international organizations are ignoring Ukraine's war crimes against its citizens.

The State Department said the observatory is being created with an initial $6 million investment with future funding to come from the European Democratic Resilience Initiative (EDRI).

The program encompasses the documentation, verification, and dissemination of open-source evidence related to actions by Russian forces, according to the release.

Information analyzed will come from publicly and commercially available information, including satellite imagery and data shared on social media, the State Department said.

In March, the White House announced at least $320 million in funds for EDRI to bolster democratic resilience, advance anti-corruption efforts, and promote respect for human rights in Ukraine and its region, the release added.

The newly announced program is a collaborative effort with Esri, Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab, the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative, and PlanetScape Ai.

On February 24, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics requested help to defend them from intensifying attacks by Ukrainian troops. Russia has said the special operation aims to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine and operations solely target the country's military infrastructure and the civilian population is not in danger.

In response, the United States and its allies imposed comprehensive sanctions against Russia and supplied Ukraine with offensive and defensive weapons as well as other aid.