U.S. Officials and Southern Baptist Leaders Denounce Russian ‘War Crimes’

About 13 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance throughout Ukraine, according to U.N. estimates. Millions have fled their homes, and many of those who stayed have been victimized by Russian troops. IMB photo

WASHINGTON (BP) – President Biden and the U.S. House of Representatives are persuaded Russian President Vladimir Putin and his military have committed war crimes in Ukraine.

If those assessments prove correct, justice requires accountability for the perpetrators, a Southern Baptist ethics leader said.

The war crimes designations by United States officials intensified after photos recently came to light of hundreds of bodies of Ukrainian civilians who apparently had been executed by Russian soldiers prior to the troops’ withdrawal from Bucha, a town outside Kyiv. Though Russia denied the allegations, witnesses also reported torture and rapes by Russian troops, according to news reports.

Brent Leatherwood, acting president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), told Baptist Press, “Far too often, as wars are waged, innocent civilians are caught in the crossfire. This week, the world has been confronted with appalling images of the result of such a situation. More alarmingly, many of the photos suggest these civilians were purposefully targeted.

“If such an intentional violation of humanitarian laws occurred, it is the very definition of a war crime,” Leatherwood said in written comments. “The commanders, generals and leaders who called for such actions to be taken need to be held accountable. Justice demands it.”

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Source: Baptist Press