The UNʼs independent international commission investigating violations in Ukraine again did not come to the conclusion that genocide is taking place in the country.
This is how the chairman of the commission Eric Möse answered the question of "Radio Liberty".
According to him, the commission does not have sufficient available evidence: "You remember that this is a question of intent, the intent of the criminals. There must be a "need" to destroy a certain group. And such destruction, according to the Convention, must be physical or biological." Investigations in Ukraine will continue.
At the same time, Eric Möse emphasized that the commission discovered a large number of war crimes. Regarding two topics — torture and attacks on Ukraineʼs energy infrastructure — "there are signs that this could be a crime against humanity."
So far, the Commission has visited Ukraine more than ten times. This time it was in Uman and visited a residential high-rise building that was shelled by Russia in April (24 people died).
The UN Independent International Commission to Investigate Violations in Ukraine is a body authorized by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate all alleged violations and abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, as well as related crimes in the context of war. The purpose of the commission is to establish the facts, circumstances and root causes of any such violations, as well as to gather evidence for any future legal proceedings.
- On March 16, 2023, the UN Independent International Commission to Investigate Violations in Ukraine published a report. In it, she wrote about numerous war crimes committed by the Russians, but not about genocide. The head of the commission Eric Möse told reporters that they had found no evidence of genocide. "We did not find that there was a genocide in Ukraine," he said, adding that "there are some aspects that may raise questions about a possible genocide."