The Security Service of Ukraine has announced charges in absentia against the head of the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation, Ramzan Kadyrov, accusing him of involvement in war crimes against Ukrainian prisoners of war.
This is reported by Kyiv24
New Evidence of Kadyrov’s War Crimes
SBU investigators have established that during a public speech in front of Russian propagandists, Kadyrov stated that he had ordered his subordinates not to take Ukrainian soldiers prisoner, but to shoot them on the battlefield. The investigation revealed that this directive was addressed to the commanders of Chechen combat units participating in the war against Ukraine on the side of the Russian army.
“The Security Service has gathered new evidence of war crimes committed by the head of the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation, Ramzan Kadyrov, who is involved in the cruel treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war.”
Additionally, Kadyrov, according to the SBU, instructed that Ukrainian prisoners held in Chechnya be sent to the roofs of military facilities in Grozny. The purpose of this order was to use the detained combatants as a “human shield” to protect against drone strikes from the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
Violations of International Law and the Geneva Convention
Kadyrov’s actions are classified by investigators as violations of international humanitarian law and the laws and customs of war as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. The aforementioned directives are explicitly prohibited by the 1949 Geneva Convention, which regulates the treatment of prisoners of war.
It was previously reported that Ukrainian prisoners were transferred from Russian territory to Chechnya, where Kadyrov proposed using them at strategic sites as a “human shield.” The investigation also established that in February-March 2022, Kadyrov personally oversaw the planning and execution of combat operations by Chechen units, issuing orders and receiving reports from commanders.
In August 2022, the Security Service of Ukraine had already announced charges against Kadyrov and his closest associates under articles concerning the planning and conduct of aggressive war, attempts to change the borders of Ukraine, and support for Russian aggression.