CLEVELAND — Recently in Ukraine, a train station in the eastern part of the country was bombed as civilians inside tried to escape the war zone. More than 50 people died in the attack, but Russia has denied any wrongdoing.
Retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Steve Oluic is an expert in eastern European affairs, and says on the surface, it does appear Russia is committing war crimes.
"Such things as missile strikes against areas that should not have been attacked," he explains. "It could be considered a war crime, and it probably is if the Russians did actually attack a civilian center knowingly.
Oluic says purposefully attacking these sites is a war crime:
- Hospitals
- Religious buildings
- Refugee Centers
- Any place where there is a high portion of civilians
The train bombing involved all civilians, and hospitals, too, have been targets. Oluic says his team looked for similar things when he was in Bosnia in the 1990s.
"A mass grave is anything more than one body," he said. "[Investigators will] be looking at the bodies for war crimes, i.e. hands tied behind the back; everyone shot, for example, in the head. It sounds brutal, but they would be looking for that: An organized effort to eliminate people."
Specifically, Oluic says crews will look for:
- Results of the attacks
- Damage
- Any facts to suggest it was organized
- Mass graves
In Bucha, Ukraine, satellite images showed the latter. Investigators are there now retrieving the deceased and identifying bodies, with some having their hands tied behind their back alluding to execution-style killing.
Who does the investigations?
"The first people on the scene would be the UN, to record what's there" Oluic answered.
If evidence points to potential war crimes, the International Criminal Court tries the individuals accused.
"If there is guidance from the national authority -- whether it be Putin's office or his chief of staff or a port commander -- they could be held liable," Oluic said.
But here is the tricky part: The Ukrainian forcers are not alone.
"When you have videos of civilians training on weapons and making statements that they're going to fight to the death or throwing fire bombs, that's the issue," Oulic expressed. "Are they combatants or enemy fighters, or are they civilians?"
And investigators would have to figure out exactly who is defending Ukraine before anyone is charged with a war crime.