U.S. collects evidence of possible Russian war crimes in Ukraine

EDITOR’S NOTE: This article contains a graphic photo of soldiers removing human remains.

The United States is collecting evidence of possible war crimes and human rights abuses by Russia during its ongoing invasion of Ukraine, a National Security Council spokesperson told NBC News.

The U.S. ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Michael Carpenter, earlier in the day condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin for his “unprovoked war,” which has driven more than 1.5 million refugees out of the country.

Some 45 participating states launched the so-called Moscow Mechanism last Thursday to document and gather evidence of violations of international law by Russia, he said.

“The brutality of this war is both revolting and heartbreaking,” said Carpenter. “Children have been killed, grandparents driven from their homes, families forced to flee their country in the face of relentless strikes on civilian infrastructure,” he said.

— Dan Mangan