Topline
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday awarded the 64th Motor Rifle Brigade — the Russian army unit Ukraine has accused of war crimes for the killings of hundreds of citizens in Bucha — the honorary title of “guards” for defending the “motherland and state interests.”
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin gestures during a meeting.
Key Facts
Putin on Monday signed a decree praising the brigade for “mass heroism and valour, tenacity and courage,” according to Agence France Presse.
The move comes after the Ukrainian Defense Ministry earlier this month said the unit occupied Bucha, a northwestern suburb of Kyiv where hundreds of civilian corpses were found after Russian forces withdrew, and identified the group as having committed war crimes.
The Ministry has posted a list of the names and ranks of all members of the brigade, calling them war criminals who will be “brought to justice.”
Key Background
The decree comes a week after Putin offered his first public remarks on the atrocities in Bucha, calling images of civilian corpses in the area “fake.” Kyiv’s regional police chief said last week that more than 900 civilian bodies had been found in the region, with more than 350 discovered in the suburb of Bucha. The majority had died from gunshot wounds, the official said, adding that those numbers are expected to rise as police continue to find bodies buried under rubble and in mass graves. Ukraine has been deploying thousands to gather evidence of what many view as war crimes committed by Russian troops in the northwest suburb, where photos earlier this month showed some residents with their hands tied behind their backs and gunshot wounds on their heads. The images sparked condemnation from international organizations and leaders around the world, many of whom called for an investigation into potential war crimes.
Crucial Quote
Putin is a “war criminal,” President Joe Biden said earlier this month, adding that “we have to gather the information. We have to continue to provide Ukraine with the weapons they need to continue the fight and we have to get all the details so this can be an actual … war crime trial.”
What We Don’t Know
How long such an investigation will take. The International Criminal Court launched a probe into possible war crimes committed in Ukraine last month after dozens of its member states urged it to do so shortly after Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. The organization’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, who called Bucha a “crime scene” when he visited last week, said the ICC had “reasonable grounds” to believe crimes within its jurisdiction have been committed. Though Khan has pledged to proceed with the probe as “rapidly as possible,” the investigation could take many months, and the ICC cannot arrest Putin or other officials indicted on war crime charges without the help of other countries.
Further Reading
Putin Honours Brigade Accused By Ukraine Of ‘War Crimes’ (AFP)
More Than 900 Civilians Dead In Kyiv, Police Chief Says (Forbes)
Putin Says Peace Talks At ‘Dead End’ And Calls Bucha Images ‘Fake’ (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/madelinehalpert/2022/04/18/putin-honors-army-unit-accused-of-bucha-killings/