Human rights lawyers and the Prosecutor General’s office of Ukraine are preparing a war crimes dossier that will include evidence of deliberate starvation caused by Russian troops during the full-scale war, according to The Guardian.
The dossier is planned to be submitted to the International Criminal Court to launch the first prosecution of its kind that could indict the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
The lawyers work with open source intelligence specialists to document examples of war crimes and study statements made by Putin and other leaders.
The weaponization of food has taken place in three phases, starting with the invasion where food supplies were cut, said Yousuf Khan, a senior lawyer with law firm Global Rights Compliance.
The second phase includes the intentional destruction of food and water supplies during the fighting.
The third phase is Russian attempts to prevent or restrict exports of Ukrainian food.
On 17 July, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced Russia’s suspension of the Black Sea grain agreement, signed in the summer of 2022 to unblock the export of Ukrainian grain.
Two days after the announcement, Russia launched the most massive-yet attack on Odesa using Kh-22 and Oniks cruise missiles which targeted a grain and oil terminal.
Russo-Ukrainian War. Day 509: Russia suspends Black Sea grain deal
It’s not the first time when Russia used hunger as a weapon against Ukraine. In 1932-33, millions died of hunger in the Holodomor, the artificial man-made famine unleashed in 1932-33 by communist dictator Joseph Stalin.