Ukraine alleges war crimes by Kadyrov

In a significant move, the Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has filed charges against Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov for war crimes linked to his comments on Ukrainian prisoners of war made last October.

The charges against Kadyrov are not the first attempt to hold him accountable for war crimes. In August 2022, the SBU had already charged Kadyrov with waging an aggressive war and supporting Russia's territorial expansion into Ukraine.

The SBU's current charges are based on Kadyrov's orders not to take Ukrainian soldiers captive but to kill them on the spot, as well as his instruction to place prisoners of war on the rooftops of military facilities in Grozny to use them as a 'human shield' against Ukrainian drone strikes.

These actions have been classified as a violation of the laws and customs of war, which contravene the provisions of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The specific actions cited by the SBU include Kadyrov's order not to take Ukrainian soldiers captive and his instruction to use prisoners as a 'human shield'.

In March, more than 150 Ukrainian prisoners of war were reported to be held in Chechnya, according to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. The criminal case against Kadyrov is under the procedural guidance of Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office.

The SBU has been documenting and collecting new evidence for war crimes committed by Chechen Head Ramzan Kadyrov. The relevant article of Ukraine's criminal code under which the charges were filed provides for a sentence of between eight and twelve years in prison.

The ICC is also investigating Ramzan Kadyrov for alleged war crimes, including torture, extrajudicial killings, and involvement in violent crackdowns during the conflict in Ukraine. Kadyrov has been criticized by human rights organizations for numerous violations of human rights, including disappearances, torture, and the persecution of opponents.

The charges against Kadyrov were pressed on Monday, with the SBU basing its evidence on statements made by Kadyrov. The action was in response to a Ukrainian drone strike on the Special Forces University in Gudermes, Chechnya. Kadyrov claimed that Ukrainian citizens had been killed in the strike, alleging that prisoners were being held in the building partially damaged by the drone.

Investigative measures aim to bring Kadyrov to justice for crimes against the Ukrainian people and state. Similar charges were also filed against Daniil Martynov, deputy head of the Russian National Guard in Chechnya, and Hussein Mezhidov, commander of a tactical group of the 249th Separate Motorised Battalion. The SBU notified Kadyrov of the charges in absentia under Part 1 of Article 438 of Ukraine's criminal code, which provides for punishment for cruel treatment of prisoners of war.