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WASHINGTON — The USA authorities has despatched a letter to the United Nations human rights chief in Geneva saying it has “credible info” that Russian forces have compiled an inventory of Ukrainian residents to be killed or despatched to detention camps within the aftermath of a Russian invasion and occupation of the nation, in line with a duplicate of the letter obtained Sunday by The New York Instances.
The letter, which was addressed to Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations excessive commissioner for human rights, additionally mentioned Russian forces deliberate to hold out widespread human rights violations, which previously have included torturing and kidnapping civilians.
The probably targets can be folks against Russian actions, together with dissidents from Russia and Belarus dwelling in Ukraine, journalists, anti-corruption activists and members of ethnic and non secular minorities and the L.G.B.T.Q. neighborhood.
“We even have credible info that Russian forces will probably use deadly measures to disperse peaceable protests or in any other case counter peaceable workout routines of perceived resistance from civilian populations,” mentioned the letter, which was signed by Bathsheba Nell Crocker, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations workplace in Geneva.
Three U.S. officers confirmed the authenticity of the letter and its contents. On Monday, Dmitri S. Peskov, the Kremlin’s spokesman, denied the existence of such an inventory. “That is completely made up,” he advised reporters. “There isn’t a such checklist. This can be a faux.”
International Coverage first reported Friday on U.S. businesses having intelligence a couple of Russian “kill checklist,” and the Washington Submit first reported on the letter on Sunday.
The letter famous that U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken had raised the human rights considerations to the United Nations Safety Council when he addressed that physique on Thursday. “Specifically, he acknowledged that the USA has info that signifies Russia will goal particular teams of Ukrainians,” the letter mentioned.
In that session, Mr. Blinken advised Russian officers they might show their peaceable intentions to the world by not invading Ukraine and addressing their grievances by way of diplomacy as an alternative. Mr. Blinken plans to satisfy Sergey V. Lavrov, the international minister of Russia, in Europe this Thursday, until Russia invades Ukraine first.
President Biden and Mr. Blinken have mentioned U.S. intelligence signifies Russian President Vladimir V. Putin has already determined to invade. In latest weeks, Mr. Putin has amassed as many as 190,000 troops round Ukraine. Russia-backed insurgents within the east have elevated their artillery shelling of Ukrainian army forces in latest days.
Mr. Putin invaded components of Ukraine in 2014 and annexed the nation’s Crimean Peninsula. Mr. Biden has promised to impose harsh financial sanctions on Russia if Mr. Putin carries out one other invasion.
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