Russia's planned siege: ICC evidence details starvation tactics
Documents have been submitted to the International Criminal Court, evidencing Russia's ruthless actions. According to this information, Putin planned to capture the city without mercy for civilians. There were to be four phases of the attack.
According to a new analysis presented to the International Criminal Court, Russia used a "deliberate pattern" of starvation tactics during the 85-day siege of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in early 2022, which constituted a war crime.
As reported in "The Guardian," the collected documents indicate that Russia and its leaders intended to kill and harm a large number of civilians. It is estimated that during the encirclement and capture of the city, 22,000 people died within just a few days. Civilians were left without water, gas, and electricity when the temperature dropped below -10 degrees Celsius.
During the siege of Mariupol, up to 100,000 people could have died.
Evidence of war crimes
The application submitted by the non-governmental organization Global Rights Compliance, in cooperation with the Ukrainian government, is to include evidence that Russia planned to capture the city without mercy for its residents.
"We saw that the Russian attack consisted of four phases, starting with attacks on civilian infrastructure, followed by cutting off electricity, heating, and water supplies. Next, humanitarian evacuation was denied, and even attacked, preventing aid from reaching," says Catriona Murdoch from GRC.
Russia's actions
Meanwhile, Russia has started worrying training sessions. Without prior announcements, units of the Leningrad Military District, bordering Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, began training in handling nuclear weapons.
As reported in "Rzeczpospolita," the exercises began on 21 May but were carried out only in the Southern Military District bordering Ukraine and Belarus. The "second stage" has now been announced, and their scope has significantly expanded.
