Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Western nations have implemented extensive sanctions against the aggressor in an effort to impede its war efforts.
However, on the ground in Ukraine, the impact of these sanctions appears limited.
Just outside Kharkiv, at a concealed location, lies a collection of mangled metal fragments from attacks in the city’s vicinity. This is a grim repository – the remnants of numerous Russian bombs, rockets, missiles, and drones employed in strikes on Kharkiv and its surroundings over the past three and a half years.
“This constitutes the material evidence with which we, as prosecutors, will demonstrate Russia’s culpability in committing war crimes,” states Dymtro Chubenko of the Kharkiv Region Prosecutor’s Office. Each fragment of rocket and drone has been meticulously gathered and analyzed.
Dmytro highlights a recent addition – a Russian adaptation of Iran’s Shaheed drone. Russia has recently deployed hundreds of these Kamikaze drones against Ukrainian towns and cities. They are relatively inexpensive to produce, he notes, costing approximately $20,000 (£15,000) each.
He then directs attention to the remains of a Russian cruise missile nearby, noting their multi-million dollar price tag.
However, these weapons are not entirely of Russian manufacture; they incorporate “numerous components from Western nations,” Dmytro reveals. “Circumventing sanctions is possible [for Russia], but inaction is not an option,” he adds.
President Donald Trump appears to have grown impatient with President Vladimir Putin. Following initial attempts at fostering rapprochement between the US and Russia, the US president has now threatened to escalate sanctions against the Kremlin unless Russia agrees to a ceasefire in Ukraine by this Friday.
Trump has indicated that secondary sanctions will also take effect that day, impacting any nation engaged in trade with Russia. He has already imposed an additional 25% tariff on India for its purchases of Russian oil. US envoy Steve Witkoff met Putin in Moscow on Wednesday for discussions ahead of the impending deadline.
Therefore, should President Trump opt to impose further sanctions on the Kremlin, would it suffice to compel Russia to alter its course in this conflict? Dymtro believes that targeting Russian oil and gas exports could exert a considerable economic impact.
“We cannot halt it instantaneously, but we must act, we must take action,” he asserts. There is hope that President Trump may take action.
Kharkiv, situated a mere 30 kilometers from the Russian border, has endured the brunt of numerous strikes throughout the war. Thousands of buildings have been damaged or destroyed. Across the region, nearly 3,000 civilians have perished, including 97 children.
Police Colonel Serhii Bolvinov displays the charred remains of the police headquarters where he formerly worked. A Russian strike in 2022 claimed the lives of three of his officers, along with six civilians. He points to the gaping hole in the wall where the missiles penetrated. Russian tactics, he asserts, remain unchanged. “Russia seeks to target and eliminate as many civilians as possible.”
Colonel Bolvinov’s responsibility is to investigate each civilian death meticulously. He is leaving no avenue unexplored. He oversees a team of 1,000 men and women, now dispersed across basement offices throughout the city. They are undertaking painstaking forensic work to build a criminal case against those responsible.
Photographs of Russian military officers implicated in specific attacks are displayed prominently on the wall – the individuals sought.
In another building, crime scene investigators conduct DNA analysis to identify the most recent casualties – Ukrainian civilians killed in a Russian rocket attack while queuing to collect water. Colonel Bolvinov shares footage of the strike, revealing unidentifiable charred bodies lying on the ground.
“This work is arduous, but it is essential for ensuring future justice for us, for the Ukrainian people,” he states. He presents a three-dimensional computer rendering of a mass grave in Izium, where over 400 bodies were discovered. “Some cases leave an indelible mark on us all, and we will never forget this trauma,” he says.
Colonel Bolvinov expresses his desire for an end to the war. He hopes that President Trump’s increasing pressure on President Putin will prove effective. However, the police chief does not advocate for peace at any cost. “Peace without justice is not true peace,” he contends. Even if a ceasefire is achieved, it will not address the profound wounds suffered by most Ukrainian people.
At a cemetery outside Kharkiv, another stark reminder of the war’s toll is evident: the ever-expanding rows of deceased Ukrainian soldiers. Each grave is adorned with the blue and gold of the national flag. The silence is punctuated only by the sound of the flags fluttering in the wind.
Nearby, in the civilian section of the cemetery, a mother and her family are laying flowers on their daughter’s grave. Sofia was only 14 years old when a Russian glide bomb claimed her life last year. She was sitting on a park bench in Kharkiv, enjoying a warm summer afternoon with a friend.
I inquire of her mother, Yulia, whether President Trump’s escalating pressure on Russia offers any solace, but she is not optimistic.
“These discussions have been ongoing for far too long,” she laments.
“But thus far, there are no results… Hope is waning.”
Vance will be a guest of the UK foreign secretary at his official residence Chevening, in Kent.
Prosecutors allege the active-duty soldier tried to exchange the information in return for Russian citizenship.
Expectations for a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv are muted, despite the US president’s threat of sweeping sanctions.
The president also hit India with a 50% tariff and threatened a 100% levy on foreign-made computer chips.
Experts say the US’s sweeping tariffs will slow down the Indian economy if Delhi fails to secure a deal.