Vice President Kamala Harris announced Saturday at the Munich Security Conference the United States' formal accusation that the Russian government has committed crimes against humanity within Ukraine over the past year. Harris highlighted gruesome acts of torture, rape, killings, and the forcible deportation of thousands, including children, as evidence of a "widespread and systemic attack" against civilians. The United States taking the stance of claiming these as crimes against humanity is a step further than the formal accusation of war crimes from last March.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken released a statement Saturday accepting the accusation and noting that the notation is reserved for "the most egregious crimes." Harris expressed that justice must be served, vowing that those who have perpetrated and those who are complicit in these actions will be held accountable.

The Biden administration has determined that Russia has violated international law and that their actions constitute human right’s violations. They have stated that their actions amount to greater