Kathrine Frich
A British man long known for his pro-Kremlin activism is now at the centre of an international war-crimes investigation.
Authorities in the UK and the United States are examining disturbing footage and other alleged conduct linked to the conflict in Ukraine.
Officials say the case involves some of the most serious accusations brought against a UK national since Russia’s full-scale invasion.
First investigations
According to reporting from The Sun, investigators from the Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Team opened a probe in 2022 into Graham Phillips, 46, who has lived in Russia for several years and publicly supports Vladimir Putin’s military campaign in Ukraine.
The newspaper said the FBI and CIA are also reviewing material connected to the case.
Their enquiries reportedly focus on potential breaches of the Geneva Conventions and other international-law protections that govern the treatment of the dead and of detainees.
Phillips is alleged to have filmed scenes in occupied territory, including a clip showing pigs eating the remains of Ukrainian soldiers.
In the video, he can be heard saying in Russian:
“It’s a buffet!!! He’s also eating!! Munching, munching and munching! They’re not even shy.” He adds: “Eat, be healthy” and later, “It turns out he was useful for someone.”
Shocking footage
The images, widely circulated on social media, were cited by The Sun as part of the evidence now under review.
Article 34 of the Geneva Convention requires that the remains of those killed in conflict be treated with respect.
Phillips, questioned by the newspaper about why he did not intervene, replied: “Why should I have intervened in that incident with the pigs?”
He then told the outlet:
“Those Ukrainian soldiers came to Donbas to murder the civilians of Donbas, who want to be with Russia, not part of the Ukrainian Nazi regime. They ended up becoming pig fodder.”
He added: “I could say it was pigs eating pigs, but that would be an insult to the pigs.”
Prisoner-of-war concerns
Phillips is also under scrutiny for his 44-minute 2022 interview with British prisoner of war Aiden Aslin, as reported by The Sun. Aslin, a former Marine who had been living in Ukraine with his Ukrainian wife, appeared handcuffed and visibly bruised in the footage.
The video shows Phillips accusing him of being a mercenary and asking why he should not face the death penalty.
Human-rights specialists say such treatment may violate the protections granted to POWs under international law.
A police spokesperson told the newspaper that officers “launched an investigation in 2022” and are “liaising” with the Crown Prosecution Service.
The review is said to cover multiple alleged offences committed during the conflict.
Legal standards
International humanitarian law requires humane treatment of prisoners and the respectful handling of the dead, regardless of nationality or allegiance.
Article 34 of the Geneva Convention stipulates that remains must be safeguarded, and that gravesites be maintained and marked in accordance with established protections.
The ongoing investigations will determine whether the evidence meets the threshold for charges, a process that could result in the first British prosecution of alleged war crimes linked to the current conflict.
Sources: The Sun, Express.
This article is made and published by Kathrine Frich, who may have used AI in the preparation
