Latest news about Russia and the war in Ukraine

In its latest intelligence update, the British Ministry of Defense wrote that more than 2.5 million people have been evacuated from Ukraine to Russia, and it is suspected that many of the forcibly evacuees have been deported.

“Russia continues to face accusations that it is forcibly deporting Ukrainians; in many cases, Ukrainians have reportedly been ill-treated in purification camps set up by Russia,” the ministry wrote on Twitter.

In recent years, Moscow has given Russian passports to tens of thousands of people in eastern Ukraine. While some people have voluntarily gone to Russia, there are witnesses to forced deportations of Ukrainians, including children, who have described brutal conditions in Russian “purification camps”.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said, The United States suspects that between 900,000 and 1.6 million Ukrainian citizens, including 260,000 children, have been detained and deported. From their homes to Russia.

The Geneva Conventions of 1949 set international legal standards and protections for humane treatment during war and expressly prohibit mass forcible transfers of civilians.

– Natasha Turak and Amanda Macias

The United States, European Union countries, Canada, Australia, Mexico and many other countries are among 45 countries that have signed a political declaration to work together to prosecute Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

There are about 23,000 war crimes investigations already open, and states need to coordinate to ensure sufficient evidence is provided, organized, and cases are avoided. Different countries are leading different investigations, and together the group will train Ukrainian prosecutors and increase the number of forensic personnel in Ukraine.

The signatories also allocated €20 million ($20 million) to support the International Criminal Court and the Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office.

“The simple fact is that as we speak, children, women and men, young and old, live in terror,” said ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan.

Khan stressed the “need for coordination and coherence” and the need for a “comprehensive strategy” among the participating countries.

“Targeted justice can only be achieved if we work together. Today we commit to setting a new standard for cooperation, and strengthening our efforts toward accountability globally,” Khan said during the Ukraine Accountability Conference in The Hague.

– Natasha Turak

The death toll from an attack in the city of Vinnytsia in central Ukraine has risen to 23, including three children. According to the emergency service of Ukraine.

The service added that 117 people need medical care. Thirty-four of these people are in serious condition and 5 are in critical condition. Search and rescue teams are still searching for at least 39 people under the rubble.

Earlier today, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the cruise missile attack on community facilities and the medical center as a “Russian terrorist act.”

– Amanda Macias

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin thanked his Italian counterpart at the Pentagon for supporting NATO’s eastern flank as well as the country’s “expanded contributions to international security.”

Italian Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini and Austin agreed to maintain close cooperation “especially during these difficult times that have proven the importance of the transatlantic relationship,” according to a Pentagon reading of the meeting.

The two also discussed “how the United States and Italy can increase defense cooperation activities in Africa.”

– Amanda Macias