The U.S. government sent a formal letter to United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelete warning that Russia is compiling a list of Ukrainians to kill or capture after invading.
The letter, which was confirmed by U.S. officials as being authentic, was first reported on by Western news publications with government contacts then a copy of the letter was released publicly by The New York Times.
In it, U.S. ambassador and representative to the UN Bathsheba Nell Crocker wrote, “We have credible information that indicates Russian forces are creating lists of identified Ukrainians to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation.”
She wrote that the people targeted would likely include Russian and Belarusian dissidents in Ukraine, journalists and anti-corruption activists, and vulnerable populations such as religious and ethnic minorities and LGBTQI+ persons.
Russia would also likely “use lethal measures to disperse peaceful protests or otherwise counter peaceful exercises of perceived resistance from civilian populations,” Crocker wrote.
This direct warning to the UN follows a series of public U.S. intelligence disclosures by President Biden, U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Russian plans for Ukraine.
President Biden and other U.S. government officials said these disclosures were repeatedly being released to the public to put pressure on Russia and make it more difficult for the country to invade Ukraine without receiving condemnation from leaders around the world.
