The U.S. has accused Russian military personnel of torturing an American citizen in Ukraine

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged four Russian military personnel with torturing an American citizen in Ukraine, as reported by Ukrinform.

This marks the first accusation of war crimes against Russians for actions outside the United States during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, announced by U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.

"The charges include torture, inhumane treatment, and unlawful detention of a U.S. citizen in Ukraine after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022," Garland explained.

According to documents filed in a federal court in Virginia, four Russian military members abducted an American from a house in the village of Mylove in Kharkiv region in April 2022. They subjected him to beatings and torture for ten days, including stripping him naked, tying his hands behind his back, and assaulting him with fists, feet, and rifle butts.

This is the first instance where the U.S. government has applied a law aimed at prosecuting those committing war crimes against American citizens abroad.