Reps. McCaul, Meeks Introduce Legislation to Hold Russia Accountable for War Crimes

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., and co-Chair Michael McCaul, R-Texas, on Thursday introduced a bill aimed at collecting evidence to be used to prosecute war crimes being committed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.

The legislation, titled, "The Ukraine Invasion War Crimes Deterrence and Accountability Act," was introduced shortly after the United Nations and NATO announced similar plans to hold Russia accountable.

"Based on the reports coming out of Ukraine, it is clear that Putin and the armed forces of the Russian Federation are committing war crimes," McCaul said in a statement. "It is vital that the U.S. and the free world build a case against Russia for their atrocities and work to deter them from committing future war crimes. We owe the brave Ukrainian people this commitment."

"Vladimir Putin's unlawful and unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine has pummeled civilian targets, including schools and hospitals, flattened cities, and killed or injured civilians," added Meeks. 

"This legislation requires the administration to detail the process our government will undertake to collect, analyze, and preserve evidence of these war crimes, so that perpetrators of these and other atrocities are held accountable. It also requires the administration to describe the process through which a domestic, foreign, or international court or tribunal could request and obtain information related to war crimes or other atrocities from the United States. In introducing the Ukraine War Crimes Act, the U.S. Congress is sending an unequivocable message to Putin's regime that we will work tirelessly to hold perpetrators of war crimes and other atrocities to justice."

Michelle Bachelet, the top United Nations human rights official, on Wednesday said Russia may have committed war crimes by killing civilians and destroying hospitals in its bombing of Ukrainian cities.

"Homes and administrative buildings, hospitals and schools, water stations and electricity systems have not been spared," she said while addressing the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva. "Indiscriminate attacks are prohibited under international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes."

• Russia Poll: Putin's Approval Shoots Up to 83%
• Moscow Says All Foreign Leased Aircraft Will Remain in Russia