The UN International Commission of Inquiry on Violations in Ukraine has not yet concluded that genocide is taking place in the country.
"At this stage, we still have not come to the conclusion that genocide is taking place in Ukraine," said Erik Møse, chairman of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Violations in Ukraine, when asked by a Radio Liberty journalist.
Members of the commission arrived in Kyiv and gave a press conference.
The Commissioner already expressed this position in March 2023, during a press conference in Geneva.
According to Erik Møse, the commission does not have sufficient evidence to meet the legal qualifications of the Genocide Convention.
"We are well aware of the concerns and accusations about this crime. Therefore, we are investigating this step by step. At the moment, we do not have sufficient evidence to meet the legal qualification provided for by the Genocide Convention. You remember that this is a question of intent, the intent of the perpetrators. There must be a "need" to destroy a certain group. And such destruction, according to the Convention, must be physical or biological. These are the strict conditions for the recognition of genocide, which are confirmed by judicial practice," said the head of the UN Independent International Commission.
However, he says that investigations in Ukraine will continue. According to him, the commission has previously noted that "there were certain statements in the Russian media that may have been related to the issue of incitement to genocide."
"This is one line that we follow, and we will consider it. But there are no conclusions so far," added Mr. Møse.
Background. As a reminder, the Ukrainian government has agreed to a hybrid format for a tribunal on Russia's war crimes in Ukraine.