Acts Committed by Russian Citizens in Ukraine after 24 February 2022 that May Constitute the Crime of Genocide

Russian military aggression against Ukraine is the most flagrant violation of Article 2(4) of the United Nations Charter in recent years. Crimes committed by the Russian armed forces on the territory of Ukraine constitute the most serious crimes of international concern, as confirmed by the ICC’s arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova in regard of particular acts identified by the ICC as war crimes. The crime of genocide requires a special means rea element to be met – an intent to destroy a protected group in whole or in part. The aim of this article is to analyze definition of genocide along with its elements established in the document “Elements of Crime” in the context of two forms of genocide that were committed by Russian armed forces – killing Ukrainians and forcible transfer of children of the group.