US House measure would require documenting Russian 'war crimes' in Ukraine

ANKARA

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill to require the government to document Russian "war crimes” in Ukraine.

The bill was passed late Wednesday by a vote of 418-7, with all the dissenters coming from the Republican Party, according to local media reports. Representative Liz Cheney later said she had voted no by mistake.

Under the bill, the Biden administration would be required to collect and preserve evidence of war crimes in Ukraine dating back to Feb. 24, when Russia launched the war.

To become law, the measure would also have to pass the US Senate and be signed by President Joe Biden, who has said Russian President Vladimir Putin should stand trial for “war crimes.”

Addressing the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that during the war, Russia has committed the "most terrible war crimes" since World War II.

The Russian war on Ukraine has drawn international outrage, with the EU, US, and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 1,563 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 2,213 injured, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be far higher.

More than 4.3 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.