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In this photo made from video provided by the Russian Defence Ministry Press Service on Saturday,February 19,2022,Russian marines take their position during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus.Credit:AP

“I would like to bring to your attention disturbing information recently obtained by the United States that indicates that human rights violations and abuses in the aftermath of a further invasion are being planned,” said the letter,written by Bathsheba Crocker,the US ambassador to the United Nations and other international organisations in Geneva.

“These acts,which in past Russian operations have included targeted killings,kidnappings/forced disappearances,unjust detentions,and the use of torture,would likely target those who oppose Russian actions,” said the letter addressed to Michelle Bachelet,the UN high commissioner for human rights.

Crocker says the Russian military’s targets would include Russian and Belarusian dissidents in exile in Ukraine,journalists and anti-corruption activists,and “vulnerable populations such as religious and ethnic minorities and LGBTQI+ persons”.

“Specifically,we have credible information that indicates Russian forces are creating lists of identified Ukrainians to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation,” the letter said,adding that the Biden administration also had information indicating Russian forces would likely use “lethal measures” to subdue peaceful protests or other “peaceful exercises of perceived resistance from civilian populations”.

The letter was transmitted Sunday night local time (Monday AEDT) to the UN human rights office in Switzerland.

The Russian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Kremlin has denied that it plans to invade Ukraine and has accused the United States and Western governments of disseminating misinformation to destabilise the region.

Russia has amassed more than150,000 troops near Ukraine’s border while demanding that the United States provide guarantees that Ukraine will never become a NATO member,a request Washington has refused.

The US letter says it is addressing the UN human rights office because of its mandate and reporting presence in Ukraine.

In 2014,the United Nations established a human rights monitoring mission for Ukraine,with a special focus on the disputed areas of the country’s east. The mission has offices in the capital Kyiv,Kharkiv and in the breakaway territories in Luhansk and Donetsk.

In a report covering August through October 2021,the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights cited increased civilian deaths and forced conscription,along with tighter restrictions of freedom of movement by authorities in Luhansk.

UN monitors also reported complaints of torture and arbitrary detention in separatist-controlled areas,along with a lack of access to detention sites for independent monitors.

The governments of both Russia and Ukraine have come under criticism for the treatment of LGBTQ individuals in their respective countries.

While LGBTQ advocates have credited Ukraine’s progress in improving their status in recent years,they say it has more work to do.

The letter says the UN human rights office has a global “leadership role” when it comes to monitoring abuses.

“We share this information with you in support of OHCHR’s important mission,” the letter says.

The Washington Post