State Dept says it is reviewing 'very credible' reports of Russian war crimes in Ukraine

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The State Department said Thursday that it has seen very credible reports that Russia has committed war crimes during its invasion of Ukraine. 

"The fact is that we've seen very credible reports of deliberate attacks on civilians, which would, under the Geneva Conventions, constitute a war crime," State Dept. spokesperson Ned Price said during a Thursday press conference.

A family fleeing from Ukraine, wait for the train at the border crossing station in Medyka, Poland. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu))

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"We are and will be in the process of marrying reports with evidence from the ground," Price continued. "And if we determine, if the international community determines that war crimes have been committed, that atrocities have been committed, that human rights abuses have been committed, we absolutely will hold the perpetrators accountable. Whether they sit in Moscow or whether their commanders on the ground in Ukraine."

Price’s comment comes after several widely reported instances of Russian troops appearing to commit war crimes including bombing a maternity ward, which the Kremlin has denied, and killing fleeing civilians.

Gutted cars following a night air raid in the village of Bushiv, 40 kilometers west of Kyiv. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

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Last week, when asked about whether Russia was committing war crimes, President Biden said he and his administration were monitoring the situation, but that it was too soon to make a determination.

On Friday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked whether the strike on Europe’s largest nuclear plant, which is located about 350 miles southeast of Kyiv, would constitute a war crime to the U.S. government, but responded that there were still internal investigations underway.

Women and children wait to board a bus heading to Przemysl after fleeing Ukraine. (AP Photo/Visar Kryeziu)

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"We have an internal review that's been ongoing prior to last night to collect evidence and data of the targeting of civilians, of the reported use of horrific weapons of war on the ground in Ukraine," Psaki said.

Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report