The US State Department has launched a new conflict observatory aimed at recording "Russia-perpetrated war crimes and other atrocities in Ukraine."
Following international legal requirements, the Conflict Observatory will evaluate and retain publicly and commercially accessible material, including satellite imagery and information published via social media, to use in ongoing and future accountability mechanisms.
According to the State Department, the initiative got a $6 million start-up grant and is likely to get further money from the European Democratic Resilience Initiative.
The Ukrainian government has accused Russia of atrocities and violence against people during the invasion, claiming that over 10,000 suspected war crimes have been found.
“This new Conflict Observatory program is part of a range of U.S. government efforts at both national and international levels designed to ensure future accountability for Russia’s horrific actions,” US State Department said in a statement.
The program is a joint effort between Esri, a prominent geographic information systems business, Yale University's Humanitarian Research Lab, the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative, and PlanetScape Ai.
The ConflictObservatory.org website will contain the program's reports and analyses.
Picture Credits: Reuters
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