The US government has “credible information” that Russian forces have drawn up a list of Ukrainian citizens to be killed or sent to detention camps after an attack, invasion, and occupation of the country by Moscow.
This information has been sent by Washington to the head of human rights of the United Nations in Geneva, as published on Monday by The New York Times, which says it has a copy of the document.
The letter addressed to Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, also indicates that Russian forces plan to commit human rights violations, including torturing or kidnapping civilians.
Likely targets would be people opposed to Russian actions, including dissidents from Russia and Belarus living in Ukraine, journalists, anti-corruption activists, and members of ethnic and religious minorities and the LGBT community, according to the newspaper.
“We also have credible information that Russian forces are likely to use lethal measures to disperse peaceful protests or counter peaceful resistance exercises by civilian populations,” says the letter, signed by Bathsheba Nell Crocker, U.S. Ambassador. United in front of the United Nations offices in Geneva.
The newspaper assures that it has testimonies from three US officials who have confirmed the authenticity of the letter and its content.
The tension between Russia and the US and its Western allies has reached maximum heights over the past weekend and, while Washington assures that Moscow will invade Ukraine in the coming days, diplomatic contacts continue to be made to avoid a conflict.
The United States agreed this Sunday to hold a presidential summit with Russia but made it a condition that the Russians not invade Ukraine first, and insisted that everything points to that attack being ” about” to occur.
President Joe Biden “has agreed in principle to meet” with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, “provided there has been no invasion” of Ukraine by then, White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement late at night. Sunday.
