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UN: No Evidence on Genocide in Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv. AFP
Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv. AFP
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UN: No Evidence on Genocide in Ukraine

Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv. AFP
Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv. AFP

UN investigators said Thursday they "have not found that there has been a genocide within Ukraine.”

Presenting their first report, the high-level team of investigators said they had determined that Russian authorities had committed "a wide range of war crimes" since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 -- and also warned of possible crimes against humanity.

But Erik Mose, chairman of the Commission of Inquiry (COI), said that so far they "have not found that there has been a genocide within Ukraine".

Asked about specific accusations of genocide, including the forced transfer of Ukrainian children to areas under Russian control, Mose said: "We are absolutely aware of these possibilities, and we will pursue this" if the commission's mandate is prolonged.

The investigators' report did however conclude that the forced deportations of Ukrainian children "violate international humanitarian law, and amount to a war crime".

The report highlighted numerous other Russian violations in Ukraine that it said amounted to war crimes, including widespread attacks on civilians and infrastructure, killings, torture and rape and other sexual violence.

It also said Moscow could be responsible for the even more serious "crimes against humanity", pointing to the wave of Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure that began last October, and recommended further investigations.

The report also found that Ukraine forces had committed a "small number of violations" including what appeared to be indiscriminate attacks and torture of prisoners of war.

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Putin Says Russia Stands with China against 'Neo-Nazism'

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during a welcoming ceremony before their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 8, 2025. (Reuters/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool)
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during a welcoming ceremony before their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 8, 2025. (Reuters/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool)
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Putin Says Russia Stands with China against 'Neo-Nazism'

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during a welcoming ceremony before their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 8, 2025. (Reuters/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool)
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during a welcoming ceremony before their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 8, 2025. (Reuters/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool)

Russian President Vladimir Putinthanked Chinese President Xi Jinping for joining celebrations to mark 80 years since the "sacred" victory over Adolf Hitler in World War Two, and said the two countries stood together now against "neo-Nazism". 

Xi's presence at this week's anniversary celebrations provides an important boost for the Kremlin leader, who has portrayed his war in Ukraine as a struggle against modern-day Nazis from the start. 

Ukraine and its allies reject that characterization as a grotesque falsehood, accusing Moscow of conducting an imperial-style invasion. 

"The victory over fascism, achieved at the cost of enormous sacrifices, is of lasting significance," Putin told Xi on Thursday. 

"Together with our Chinese friends, we firmly stand guard over historical truth, protect the memory of the events of the war years, and counteract modern manifestations of neo-Nazism and militarism." 

Xi said the two countries, as world powers and permanent members of the UN Security Council, would work together to counter "unilateralism and bullying" - an implied reference to the United States. 

He said they would "jointly promote the correct view of the history of World War Two, safeguard the authority and status of the United Nations, resolutely defend the rights and interests of China, Russia and the vast majority of developing countries, and work together to promote an equal, orderly, multipolar, and inclusive economic globalization". 

The two leaders spoke after approaching each other along a red carpet from opposite ends of one of the Kremlin's most opulent halls and shaking hands in front of the cameras. Each greeted the other as "dear friend". 

Xi is the most powerful of more than two dozen foreign leaders who are visiting Moscow this week to mark Thursday's 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two. The celebrations are taking place at a key moment in the war with Ukraine, as Moscow and Kyiv come under US pressure to reach a peace deal. 

Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on Tuesday urged countries not to send their militaries to participate in the May 9 parade, saying such participation would go against some countries' declared neutrality in the war. 

Xi, whose country is locked in a tariff war with the United States, is expected to sign numerous agreements to deepen the "no limits" strategic partnership that the two countries signed in 2022, less than three weeks before Putin sent his army into Ukraine. 

China is Russia's biggest trading partner and has thrown Moscow an economic lifeline that has helped it navigate Western sanctions. China buys more Russian oil and gas than any other country.