Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
Reader discretion is advised.
Reader discretion is advised.
3½ years of war
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022, noone could have anticipated just how destructive, cruel and atrocious this war would be.
After more than 3½ years of war, Russia has repeatedly been accussed of commiting war crimes – some are allegations, some have been been proven.
The list is long – and growing
It can be difficult to keep track of all the crimes, Russia and Russian troops have been accussed of committing, so here, we have made a list of all the categories of crimes.
We refrain from describing the explicit details of the crimes, but reader discretion is advised.
Note: This is not necessarily a comprehensive list, but we have tried our best to use as many sources as possible.
Prohibited weapons
Reported use of cluster munitions and other indiscriminate explosive weapons in populated areas.
Amnesty stated Russia repeatedly violated IHL (International Humanitarian Law) with indiscriminate and direct attacks on civilian targets, verifying strikes on hospitals and schools and the use of banned/inaccurate weapons.
Abduction and deportation
Deportations and transfers of civilians, including systematic abduction of Ukrainian children from occupied areas.
The ICC issued arrest warrants (Mar 2023) for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova over unlawful deportation/transfer of children. Further ICC warrants (2024) name senior Russian officials over strikes on civilian infrastructure.
Arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances in occupied territories, often tied to so-called “filtration” camps used to process, interrogate, and separate civilians for transfer.
Attacks on civilians
Widespread intentional or indiscriminate attacks on civilians and civilian objects across multiple regions (e.g., Kyiv and Chernihiv oblasts, Kharkiv, Trostianets), including shootings of civilians and civilian vehicles and “double-tap” strikes on rescue efforts.
These actions violate the Geneva Conventions’ protections for civilians.
The UN (May 2025) found regular drone attacks on civilians in Kherson amounted to war crimes (intentionally directing attacks against civilians and outrages upon personal dignity) and described drone murders of civilians as crimes against humanity.
Attacks on hospitals and medical facilities
The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission verified dozens of attacks on medical facilities early in the invasion (e.g., airstrikes on hospitals in Izium, Mariupol, Ovruch, Volnovakha, Vuhledar), which are explicitly protected under IHL.
Destruction of energy infrastructure
A sustained campaign of missile and drone strikes against Ukraine’s electricity and heating infrastructure (e.g., Kharkiv TEC-5), disrupting basic services for civilians; such targeting of indispensable civilian infrastructure is cited as unlawful.
Destruction and theft of cultural heritage
Damage, destruction, and looting of cultural sites and artifacts; international legal analyses emphasize special protections for cultural heritage in armed conflict, beyond general civilian-object protections.
Torture of civilians (including network of torture chambers)
Documented torture of civilians in occupied areas, including a system of torture chambers across multiple oblasts (Kyiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson), involving beatings, electric shocks, mock executions, and other abuse.
Use of human shields
Multiple investigations (e.g., BBC, Guardian) reported use of Ukrainian civilians as human shields by Russian troops near Kyiv (Bucha, Ivankiv, Obukhovychi) to deter Ukrainian attacks—conduct expressly prohibited by IHL.
Sexual violence
Verified cases of conflict-related sexual violence—including rape, gang rape, torture, forced public stripping, and threats of sexual violence—attributed to Russian forces.
UN officials briefed the Security Council on dozens of assaults, noting access constraints likely mean under-reporting.
Looting
Systematic looting and pillage of civilian property reported in occupied areas—another longstanding war-crimes prohibition under the laws of war.
Forced conscription
Compulsory enlistment of residents in occupied territories into Russian/former separatist forces, contrary to IHL rules that ban compelling protected persons to serve in the hostile power’s forces.
Mistreatment of prisoners of war (POWs)
Executions of surrendering Ukrainian soldiers, torture and mutilation (including castration), beheadings, and show/illegal trials of POWs—violations of the Third Geneva Convention.
Reports note a rising number of POW deaths in Russian custody and prosecutions for lawful combatancy (e.g., Azov members).
Genocide
Allegations that aspects of the campaign—especially the forcible transfer of children, certain patterns of killings and rhetoric, and attacks on Ukrainian identity—meet elements of genocide under international law.
This overlaps with the ICC warrants related to child deportations.
This article is made and published by Jens Asbjørn Bogen, which may have used AI in the preparation
