“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine (hereinafter – MFA of Ukraine) welcomes publication of the comprehensive Report on violations of international humanitarian and human rights law, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the russian federation and its armed forces during the ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine.

For the first time, this OSCE mechanism was invoke by an unprecedented number of initiating countries – 46 together with Ukraine, which testifies to the recognition by the international community of the extreme seriousness and scale of russia’s gross violations.

The findings of the Report clearly testify to the fact that russia’s violations are on a scale that the international community has not seen in Europe in decades and that urgent action is needed to stop the aggressor-state. The recognition in the Report that certain parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have also been occupied by Russia since 2014 is of crucial importance.

We view the OSCE Moscow Mechanism Report as an important contribution to the international community’s efforts to prevent impunity and ensure justice by holding accountable all masterminds and perpetrators of the crimes of russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, war crimes, crimes against humanity and other violations of international humanitarian and human rights law.

We take note of the fact that the russian federation refused to cooperate with the Mission of Experts which is nothing but a clear indication of the recognition of russia’s full responsibility for the war of aggression it launched against Ukraine and its consequences.

The MFA of Ukraine draws separate attention to the Mission’s conclusion about the need for a serious international enquiry, on the spot, to investigate summary executions of a large number of civilians during the russian occupation of villages in the proximity of Kyiv, in particular Bucha, pointing to war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by russia's armed forces.

Almost 100-pages Report provides strong evidence of the enormous amount of atrocities committed by russia in Ukraine. As a conclusion, it is stressed that “the Mission found clear patterns of IHL violations by the russian forces on many of the issues investigated. It is not conceivable that so many civilians would have been killed and wounded and so many civilian objects, including houses, hospitals, cultural property, schools, multi-story residential buildings, administrative buildings, penitentiary institutions, police stations, water stations and electricity systems would have been damaged or destroyed if russia had respected its IHL obligations in terms of distinction, proportionality and precautions in conducting hostilities in Ukraine. The conduct of the siege of Mariupol is an extreme example,” the MFA of Ukraine said.

The information documented in the Report could be of use for national, regional or international courts or tribunals that have or will have future jurisdiction over russia’s war crimes and its current leadership.