Ukraine Launches War Crime Investigation Following Overnight Russian Attacks
KYIV, Ukraine – Ukraine’s anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into alleged war crimes following a massive overnight Russian attack targeting critical infrastructure across the country, officials announced Sunday. The assault, described by ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as involving “more than 50 missiles and around 500 drones,” impacted the regions of Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, Odesa, and Kirovohrad.
Zelensky reported at least five deaths consequently of the bombings, stating, “Today, the Russians have again struck our infrastructure, everything that ensures normal life to the population.” He urgently appealed for increased air defense support, calling for “More protection” and “A faster implementation of all defense agreements, in particular in terms of air defense.” Zelensky further implored the United States and Europe to “act to force Putin to stop.”
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed responsibility for a “massive attack using high precision weapons,” including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, targeting “companies of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex and gas and energy infrastructure which ensured their operation.”
The investigation by ukrainian authorities aims to determine weather the attacks constitute war crimes under international law, focusing on the deliberate targeting of civilian infrastructure. This latest escalation in hostilities underscores the ongoing conflict and the continued vulnerability of Ukraine’s essential services.
