Ukraine documents 190,000 war crimes — and believes they prove Russia’s plan to erase the nation

Ukraine has registered over 190,000 war crimes since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, and prosecutors believe the scale and pattern of these crimes show a state-directed campaign to wipe out the Ukrainian nation, according to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office.
Ukraine presents staggering war crimes evidence to UN investigators
On 4 November 2025, Deputy Prosecutor General Andrii Leshchenko met with representatives of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, led by Erik Møse. During the meeting, Ukrainian officials shared data, investigative results, and assessments pointing to what they described as Russia’s orchestrated campaign of violence against Ukraine’s civilian population.
The Prosecutor General’s Office told the UN commission that over 190,000 war crimes had been recorded since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Leshchenko said that 1,029 Russian military personnel had been formally charged, with 747 indictments sent to court and 206 individuals already convicted.
He emphasized that the scale and systematic nature of the Russian Federation’s crimes allow them to be classified as part of a deliberate genocidal policy against the Ukrainian people.
“What we are seeing is a planned state policy aimed at destroying the Ukrainian nation,” Leshchenko said, adding that investigators are not focusing solely on the direct perpetrators but also on the political and military leadership of Russia, the aggressor state.
Spike in drone attacks highlights deliberate targeting of civilians
Yurii Rud, head of the Department for Combating Crimes Committed During Armed Conflict, highlighted the sharp increase in Russian drone attacks on civilians. He said more than 5,100 such assaults were documented in just the first nine months of 2025 — twice the total recorded in all of 2024. Rud noted these attacks showed clear signs of crimes against humanity.
UN report confirms civilian targeting and forced deportations
The Ukrainian delegation and UN representatives also discussed a recent report from the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine. The report cited numerous cases of force used against civilians in both Russian-occupied and frontline territories. It detailed systematic drone strikes on civilian infrastructure and the deportation of residents from Russian-occupied areas.
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