US accuses Russia of war crimes for 'indiscriminate attacks' on civilians and 'other atrocities' in Ukraine

• The US government accused Russian forces of committing war crimes in Ukraine.
• Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US had seen "indiscriminate attacks" on civilians.

The US government has accused Russian forces of committing war crimes in Ukraine.

"Based on the information currently available, the U.S. government assesses that members Russia's forces are committing war crimes in Ukraine," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement on Wednesday.

Blinken added, "We've seen numerous credible reports of indiscriminate attacks and attacks deliberately targeting civilians, as well as other atrocities."

He said the US would continue to track reports of war crimes and share information with international organizations and allies.

"We are committed to pursuing accountability using every tool available, including criminal prosecutions," he said.

The accusation is the strongest condemnation yet from the US following Ukrainian allegations of widespread targeting of civilians during Russia's invasion.

Russian forces have continued to bombard Ukrainian cities as the war approaches its one-month mark. The latest United Nations figures showed that there were over 2,500 civilian casualties in Ukraine — though it acknowledged that the actual figure was much higher.

In Ukraine's southern port city of Mariupol, Russia targeted hospitals, schools, and theaters where hundreds of children were sheltering.

The State Department suggested on Tuesday that increasing Russian brutality against Ukrainian cities and civilians could be because Russian President Vladimir Putin was angry and surprised that Ukrainians had put up such a fierce resistance.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that the brutal assault on Mariupol constitutes war crimes, and that Russia's "terror" would be "remembered for centuries to come."

Zelenskyy is among a growing number of world leaders and international organizations that have criticized Russia for possibly committing war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.

Last week, President Joe Biden called Putin a war criminal in his harshest condemnation yet, and he said Putin's troops were committing atrocities in Ukraine.

"We're united in our abhorrence of Putin's depraved onslaught, and we'll continue to have their backs as they fight for freedom, democracy, their very survival," he said on March 16 while announcing a sweeping new military-aid package.

That day, the International Court of Justice ordered Russia to immediately stop its attack on Ukraine as it investigated claims of genocide — though that ruling might be largely symbolic.

Earlier in March, the top prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said he would investigate potential war crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine.