Press briefing room at the Pentagon in Washington DC (Credit:  US DOD)

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

WASHINGTON   –  PENTAGON   –   The Pentagon said Monday there is “clear evidence” that Russian forces are committing war crimes in Ukraine.  

 ” We certainly see clear evidence that Russian forces are committing war crimes. We continue to see indiscriminate attacks on civilians, which we believe in many cases is intentional.”

-Pentagon Press Secretary John  Kirby  Mar. 21, 2022

Pentagon To Assist in Gathering Evidence of Russia War Crimes 

Photo by Gary Raynaldo  /  ©Diplomatic Times /  Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby briefs reporters  at the Pentagon in Washington DC.

Speaking during a press briefing Monday,  Kirby said the Pentagon is helping with the collecting of evidence of war crimes committed by Russian forces.   

“But there’s investigative processes that are going to go on and we’re going to let that happen.  We’re going to contribute to that investigative process.  As for what would come out of that, that’s not a decision that the Pentagon leadership would make.  I’m not going to talk about specific systems that are in Ukraine.”     –  Pentagon Press Secretary   J.  Kirby 

More than 900 Civilian Deaths in Ukraine:  UN 

Some 902 civilians have been killed in the war in Ukraine so far, according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.  And  another 1,459 have been wounded in the conflict.  Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes, the UNCHR reported.  

OHCHR recorded 2,361 civilian casualties in the country: 902 killed and 1,459 injured.   This included:

• a total of 902 killed (179 men, 134 women, 11 girls, and 25 boys, as well as 39 children and 514 adults whose sex is yet unknown)
• a total of 1,459 injured (156 men, 117 women, 22 girls, and 16 boys, as well as 60 children and 1,088 adults whose sex is yet unknown)
  • In Donetsk and Luhansk regions: 992 casualties (248 killed and 744 injured)
    • On Government-controlled territory: 756 casualties (195 killed and 561 injured)
    • On territory controlled by the self-proclaimed ‘republics’: 236 casualties (53 killed and 183 injured)