By Bond Robertson 
The UN report is the largest on war crimes to date and will be presented on Thursday afternoon.
It concludes that Russia has committed a “wide range” of war crimes in Ukraine, such as torture – in some areas systematically – and the killing of civilians.
It also concluded that Russia’s deportation of Ukrainian war children is a war crime, but has not yet classified it as genocide, as experts have previously said it could be classified as. They say it is still not known to what extent the children were deported and under what circumstances.
The commission collected large amounts of evidence from the Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kharkiv and Sumy regions, particularly in late February and March 2022, and used the last few months to summarize the material.
They met with local residents, police officers, other authorities, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and volunteer organizations.
– Talking to the people in Pozia made an impression, Musi had previously told Dagbladet.
They have decided the evidence from one place to another. For example, they collected visuals and verified information via surveys.
“indiscriminate killing”
The cases they considered related to murder, sexual assault, abuse, and the destruction of civilian infrastructure.
They have already written on their websites that they had received information about “arbitrary killings of civilians, destruction and looting of property and attacks on buildings such as schools” in Potsja and Irpin.
So they now believe they can prove that such crimes took place – after an independent and objective review.
They say a small number of human rights abuses by Ukrainian forces have been documented.
In the UN report, they also established responsibility and tried to find the individuals who appeared to be responsible.
Under investigation: Russian forces are accused of carrying out widespread attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine, including schools, health facilities and residential buildings. Here moose on inspection outside Kyiv. Photo: OHCHR
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may become necessary
Moss has previously indicated that their mandate was to investigate and survey evidence; It was not a mobile criminal court, but an investigative commission that “secured evidence for the future”—evidence that could become very important if individuals were caught and cases brought to trial.
They are also tasked with making recommendations on how to hold those responsible to account – to ensure justice for the victims.
The report is due to be submitted to the United Nations Human Rights Council on Monday.
Although it may be difficult to hold individuals to account, this could help put more diplomatic pressure on Russia.
– The Russians also have a claim for help
Norwegian in the lead
And it was – as we mentioned – Norwegian Supreme Court Justice Erik Moss who led the work. He collaborates with two other experts, Bosnian Jasminka Djumhur and Colombian Pablo de Greve. Under them, they had a secretariat of 19 people, stationed in Vienna.
The 71-year-old was sacked from the Supreme Court two years ago and entered the ranks of the retired after 28 years as a judge at home and abroad.
He has decades of international commitment to human rights behind him. From 2003 to 2007, he chaired the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. A few years later he became a judge at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
After retiring, he continued to be active in the field, and when asked to lead the review, the answer was simple:
– When you receive such a request, I think you should say yes. It was a meaningful mission – Moss told Dagbladet in June last year – after returning home from an inspection in Ukraine’s war zones.