SBU reports suspicion against Kadyrov for ordering use of Ukrainian POWs as ‘human shield’

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has collected new evidence of war crimes committed by the head of the Chechen Republic of the Russian Federation, Ramzan Kadyrov, who is involved in the cruel treatment of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs).

"According to the case materials, when talking to Russian propagandists, the defendant stated that he had instructed his 'subordinates' not to take Ukrainian soldiers prisoner, but to shoot them on the battlefield," the Telegram channel said in a message on Monday.

As the investigation established, Kadyrov's order was addressed to the commanders of Chechen fighters who are fighting in the ranks of the Russian occupation groups against Ukraine. He also ordered that Ukrainian prisoners held in Chechnya be sent to the roofs of military facilities in Grozny.

"In this way, Kadyrov proposed using imprisoned combatants as a 'human shield' against drone attacks by the Defense Forces," the report says.

The SBU notes that such statements by the defendant are a violation of the laws and customs of war applied in armed conflicts in accordance with the norms of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Based on new evidence, Security Service investigators informed Kadyrov in absentia of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (war crimes).

In August 2022, the SBU investigation qualified the defendant's actions as preparation and conduct of an aggressive war, its justification and encroachment on the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

Comprehensive measures are ongoing to hold the defendant accountable for crimes against our state and its citizens.