My colleagues and I interviewed hundreds of Ukrainians who described what happened to them in cities under siege, like Mariupol, and in numerous towns and cities, like Kharkiv, that were hit repeatedly by air and artillery strikes. They told us about the Russian occupation forces’ atrocities, in places like Bucha, Borodianka, and Yahidne, and many other, lesser-known towns and villages. I spoke with many of them when I was on the ground in Ukraine at various points throughout the year, and their words and accounts are impossible to forget.

In the last year, Russian forces have killed, raped, tortured, deported, or forcibly transferred Ukrainian civilians to Russia or Russian-occupied areas. More than 14 million Ukrainians have been forced to flee their homes. Millions have suffered from severely disrupted access to electricity and water due to Russia’s widespread targeting of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.