Ukraine War: US accuses Russia of crimes against humanity as blackouts continue
Munich, Germany - Vice President Kamala Harris accused Russia of committing crimes against humanity in Ukraine at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday and said that Washington will help hold those responsible accountable.
"We have examined the evidence, we know the legal standards, and there is no doubt: these are crimes against humanity," said Harris at the high-level annual defense gathering.
"I say to all those who perpetrated these crimes and their superiors who are complicit in these crimes: You will be held to account."
Harris accused Russian forces of "widespread and systematic attack against a civilian population."
Specifically, she accused the troops of murder, torture, rape and deportation. Hundreds of thousands of people had been forcibly taken to Russia, including children, she said. "They cruelly separated children from their families," she said.
Crimes against humanity are serious violations of international law, which are carried out systemically to cause large-scale suffering to civilians.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has reported a new barrage of Russian missile attacks, resulting in fresh power outages.
Ukraine power outages and missile reports continue
Air raid alerts that had sounded across the country on Friday night were lifted on Saturday morning.
Andriy Yermak, the head of the presidential office in Kyiv, said missiles were fired by aircraft in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.
As a precautionary measure to prevent further damage, electricity has been cut off in the capital Kyiv and its surrounding area, as well as in the industrial area of Dnipropetrovsk and in the Black Sea region of Odessa, said the energy provider DTEK.
At least two missiles were reported in the Khmelnytskyi region in the west of the country.
"An explosion was heard in Khmelnytskyi. Stay under cover," military governor Serhiy Hamaliy warned people on his Telegram channel.
Shortly afterwards, he reported a second explosion.
The military governor of the Black Sea region of Mykolaiv, Vitaliy Kim, showed a photo of an alleged Russian missile on his Telegram channel. He warned that two missiles had flown over the region to the west.
The Ukrainian armed forces also reported that two Russian Kalibr cruise missiles had been fired from ships belonging to the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
Cover photo: Collage: REUTERS