Atrocity crimes An atrocity crime is a violation of international criminal law that falls under the historically three legally defined international crimes of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Ethnic cleansing is widely regarded as a fourth mas ...

have been committed during the Russo–Ukrainian War, chiefly by the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

and its proxy forces in Ukraine's Donbas region, but also by Ukraine. Atrocity crimes is a legally defined group of offences against

international law International law (also known as public international law and the law of nations) is the set of rules, norms, and standards generally recognized as binding between states. It establishes normative guidelines and a common conceptual framework for ...

, that includes war crimes, crimes against humanity, and

genocide Genocide is the intentional destruction of a people—usually defined as an ethnic, national, racial, or religious group—in whole or in part. Raphael Lemkin coined the term in 1944, combining the Greek word (, "race, people") with the Lat ...

, and is often considered to include the non-legally defined ethnic cleansing. Since the 2014 Russian invasion and annexation of Crimea, the

war in Donbas War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, and the 2022

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, numerous atrocity crimes have been identified, and some are being or have been tried in courts.

References

War crimes in Ukraine Crimes against humanity Ethnic cleansing Genocides in Europe Russo-Ukrainian War {{Ukraine-stub

See also

War crimes and crimes against humanity

Genocide

Other

References