WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement on the reports of gross human rights violations recently revealed as the Ukrainian Armed Forces retook areas previously occupied by Russia:
“Images emerging from towns outside of Kyiv have revealed horrifying evidence of war crimes being perpetrated by the Russian military against the innocent civilians of Ukraine. Bodies of unarmed men, women, and children, many tied up, beaten, and raped, lay in mass graves, and on the streets of these cities.
“The narrative that Russian soldiers on the ground may be innocent pawns in Putin’s aggression has been proven false once again. These are murderers, looters, and war criminals who are using this war as an excuse to commit heinous acts of cruelty that shock the conscience. I once again call on the Biden Administration and our allies to send Ukraine the support it needs to win this war quickly. The international community must also take concrete steps to hold Putin and his cronies accountable for their war crimes.”
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