Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces are ready to play a major role in hunting down Russia’s war criminals (Picture: Getty/Reuters/Special Operations Forces of Ukraine)
Ukraine’s special forces will be ‘heavily involved’ in hunting down Russians guilty of atrocities, a spokesperson for the elite units has said.
Lieutenant Colonel Oleksandr Kindratenko told Metro.co.uk that the operators will seek to hold accountable those responsible for war crimes and other acts of brutality after securing victory on the battlefield.
The Ukrainian Special Operations Forces (SOF) representative said that the ‘warriors’ are ready to join forces with Kyiv’s intelligence and security services to track down the perpetrators anywhere in the world.
Last week, Metro.co.uk told how the civilian-led Tribunal 4 Putin coalition is recording Russian war crimes on a daily basis, with the figure currently standing at more than 45,000 since the start of the full-scale invasion.
A war crimes warrant has been issued for Vladimir Putin by the International Crime Court and work involving a number of international civilian and government agencies and organisations is underway to document and record new cases on a daily basis.
Ukraine’s special forces have undertaken wide-ranging operations since the start of the full-scale invasion (Picture: Special Operations Forces of Ukraine)
‘The main motivation for Ukraine’s SOF warriors is to free our land and bring the victory,’ Lt Col Kindratenko said.
‘But after the victory our motivation will be to make sure all those responsible for crimes are held accountable and to do everything possible to stop Russia starting aggression against any other nation in the region.
‘We spill our blood and sweat for other countries not to know what it is like.’
An insight into how the Russian atrocities committed in places like Bucha and Mariupol has fed into the mindset of Ukrainian soldiers was given earlier this week when a SOF sniper told how he channelled his ‘cold rage’ into his work on the battlefield in the eastern Donbas region.
In some cases, the operators haven’t had to look far, with Moscow’s troops recording their acts of brutality and sharing them on social media.
One gruesome example came in April 2023 when a video emerged appearing to show Russian soldiers beheading a Ukrainian prisoner of war.
Russian president Vladimir Putin is an obvious target for efforts to bring Russia’s war criminals to justice (Picture: Contributor/Getty Images)
‘Regarding holding Russia accountable for all those horrific atrocities, for the Ukrainian SOF it is a matter of principle and honour,’ the senior officer said.
‘I am convinced that Ukrainian SOF, in concert with other Intelligence and Security agencies, will be heavily involved in a process of holding all those war criminals accountable. The SOF are ready to conduct any operations and missions which are directed by higher military and political command.
‘Moreover, we are looking closely at and tracing all those atrocities which the occupiers film and publish online. I am more than sure that all those criminals will be punished and the SOF will play their role in this process.
‘Regardless of where in the world they might be, we will definitely find them.
‘The aggressor’s accountability for the crimes must be inevitable.’
Lt Col Kindratenko’s stern warning raises the prospect of Russians and their proxies who carried out or facilitated war crimes being hunted down in covert, integrated operations far beyond Ukraine’s borders.
The SOF units currently active on the battlefield include the 8th Separate Regiment, which is active in the Donbas and the Navy Seals-style 73rd Naval Centre, which spearheaded the liberation of Snake Island.
The 8th Separate Regiment has been operating from the shadows (Picture: Special Operations Forces of Ukraine/facebook.com/8regimentUkraine)
The use of special forces in hunting targets responsible for mass murder was famously deployed by Israel against Nazi war criminals and members of the Palestinian terror group who murdered 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team. Parallels have already been drawn between the Mossad’s operations and the brief that might combine Kyiv’s SOF and intelligence services.
Ukraine’s ability to pinpoint Russian generals on occupied territory has already been demonstrated. On Tuesday, Lieutenant-General Oleg Tsokov, who knew Putin personally, was said by Ukrainian and Russian sources to have been killed in a strike with a UK-supplied Storm Shadow missile.
A series of mystery explosions and assassinations have also taken place on Russian soil since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, although no party has claimed responsible for these. On Monday, Russian army officer Stanislav Rzhitsky, said to have commanded a submarine responsible for deadly missile attacks on Ukraine, was gunned down while jogging in his home city of Krasnodar. Drone strikes have also taken the war to Moscow, including through the double attack on the Kremlin citadel in May.
Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for any of the incidents, although some have drawn wry and cryptic remarks from officials.
Lt Col Kindratenko also delivered an uncompromising message about restoring Ukraine’s lawful borders as they were as of 1991, when the nation gained independence from the former Soviet Union.
‘One more reason why we are fighting is that no one should be above the law, especially international law,’ he said. ‘Our Supreme Commander in Chief, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has stated many times that Ukrainian territorial integrity is not a matter for discussion.
‘And this includes the Crimean Peninsula and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and all territories which were illegally captured by Russia.
‘Our goal is to return our territories as of 1991 when Ukrainian independence was proclaimed. Of course, there are different developments and timeframes, but we will do everything possible to make that happen.’
On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces are reportedly making hard-fought advances on at least three fronts in the east of the country.
While the fighting has been intense and costly for both sides, Ukraine is developing its training for the elite operators.
An image recorded by a Ukrainian sniper on the battlefield (Picture: Special Operations Forces of Ukraine/facebook.com/8regimentUkraine)
Lessons learned on the battlefield have been integrated into the ‘Q’ or qualification course, with three held since the beginning of the full-scale invasion so far. A milestone was reached this week when the first woman, known only as ‘Number 68’, passed the gruelling selection.
Lt Col Kindratenko gave Metro.co.uk a rare insight into the work taking place to produce Ukraine’s next generation of special operators.
‘All of the instructors who are in the training have their own combat experience which they transfer to the candidates,’ he said.
‘This course is unique among all such courses within the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It comprises the experience we have gained from our Western partners, as well as our own experiences from the very beginning of the Russian aggression against our country.
‘We have enough service members from all branches and services of the Armed Forces who are willing to become a part of the SOF family.
The Kremlin and Moscow have been shown by recent events to be less than impregnable (Picture: Alexander Nemenov/AFP)
‘In their units, in their positions, they have reached a certain level of mastery, but they feel the potential and ability to be better and perform tasks as part of the Special Operations Forces.’
Those graduating from the Q course include military personnel who are already battle-hardened and under no illusions about the dangers they face after 17 months of all-out war.
‘Given that candidates are making this decision during a full-scale war, they understand all the challenges and risks that SOF operators face while conducting special operations,’ Lt Col Kindratenko said.
‘Most of them see with their own eyes the work of the SOF in combat conditions, its effectiveness and efficiency, and understand its importance and want to join it themselves.
A sniper said he and his unit are fighting in defence of Ukraine and the free world (Picture: Special Operations Forces of Ukraine)
‘But disregarding the fact that we are currently fighting a war, the selection and training process is even harder than it was before.
‘Our motto says that “Quality Prevails Quantity” and we stick to it. Well-trained and equipped operators are a priority for us.’
Mykola Bielieskov, a research fellow at the National Institute for Strategic Studies, which advises Mr Zelenskyy, raised the prospect of a clandestine form of justice taking place in parallel to work by international courts aimed at bringing Putin and others in front of The Hague.
‘I hope that the covert operations will continue after Ukraine wins the victory, as the system of international justice is a slow and ineffective instrument,’ he said. ‘The issue of establishing justice to make war criminals accountable is very important so I hope it will be done.
‘Striking at war criminals and applying all the different types of measures available would be an important option to complement the work of the international courts, such as the International Criminal Court.’
On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces were said to have made gains ‘in some areas’ as they conducted counter-offensive areas in at least three sectors of the front, the US Institute for the Study of War said.
The main thrusts of attack were reported by the UK Ministry of Defence as being likely targeted at the area around Orikhiv in the Zaporizhzhia region to the south and Vuhledar and Bakhmut further north.
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