Updated Feb 20, 2022 - World

U.S. tells UN Russia plans Ukraine human rights abuses after invasion

Axios

A protester holds up a poster reading "Hands Off Ukraine" and depicting the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin during a demonstration in Berlin on Feb. 19. — A protester holds up a poster reading "Hands Off Ukraine," depicting the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin covered with a map of Ukraine in the colors of the country's flag during a demonstration in front of the Brandenburger Gate in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday. Photo: Stefanie Loos/AFP via Getty Images

The U.S. says it has "credible information" indicating "Russian forces are creating lists" of Ukrainians "to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation," the Washington Post first reported Sunday.

Driving the news: Bathsheba Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva, warns in a letter to the UN, confirmed by a State Department official, that the information "indicates that human rights violations and abuses in the aftermath of a further invasion are being planned."

"We also have credible information that Russian forces will likely use lethal measures to disperse peaceful protests or otherwise counter peaceful exercises of perceived resistance from civilian populations," Crocker wrote, per the letter.
She said "past Russian operations have included targeted killings, kidnappings/forced disappearances, unjust detentions, and the use of torture."
Likely targets would be "those who oppose Russian actions, including Russian and Belarusian dissidents in exile in Ukraine, journalists and anti-corruption activists, and vulnerable populations such as religious and ethnic minorities and LGBTQI+ persons," according to the letter.

The big picture: The warning comes as the White House announced that President Biden has agreed "in principle" to hold a summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, providing Russia does not invade Ukraine.

Putin has also "accepted the principle of such a summit," according to French President Emmanuel Macron's office.
President Biden convened a meeting of the National Security Council on Sunday, following a tense weekend of conflicting-claims about whether Putin has decided to invade Ukraine.

Read Crocker's letter, first obtained by WashPost, via DocumentCloud:

Go deeper: Biden and Putin agree "in principle" to hold summit

Editor's note: This article has been updated with new details throughout.

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U.S. tells UN Russia plans Ukraine human rights abuses after invasion

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