A complaint for “complicity in war crimes” in Ukraine was filed against TotalEnergies, Thursday, October 13, with the national anti-terrorist prosecutor’s office, by the Ukrainian associations Razom We Stand and French Darwin Climax Coalitions, according to information from the World confirmed by the plaintiffs. The two non-governmental organizations (NGOs) accuse the French group of having exploited a gas deposit which was used to manufacture kerosene used by Russian planes in their bombings in Ukraine, in particular in the theater of Mariupol, where the attack had caused the death of about 600 people.
Razom We Stand and Darwin Climax Coalitions claim that TotalEnergies has “contributed to providing the Russian government with the necessary means to commit war crimes”. “We Ukrainians are bombarded daily by the Russian army, says Svitlana Romanko, director of Razom We Stand. With this complaint, we hope to demonstrate the link that exists between TotalEnergies and this war. »
Contacted by The worldthe French group protests against accusations ” outrageous and defamatory “. ” To be an “accomplice in war crimes” is to provide direct assistance to a State or to a criminal organization that is the perpetrator of the crimesraises the group, these accusations against our company, which conducts its operations in strict compliance with European Union policy and applicable European sanctions measures, are particularly serious and unfounded. »
“Legal Risks”
This complaint follows the revelations of the World and the NGO Global Witness published in August, according to which TotalEnergies was a 49% shareholder in the Termokarstovoye gas field in Siberia. The field produces stabilized gas condensate in a processing plant which itself supplies a refinery… And it is the latter which sells kerosene to the Russian Air Force. In particular, it supplies two military bases, at Morozovskaya and Malchevo, each of which houses a squadron of multirole combat aircraft. These units are accused by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch of having struck the Ukrainian civilian population.
“We informed TotalEnergies in March 2022 of the legal risks that weighed on it if it decided to continue its activities, and in particular of complicity in the crimes perpetrated by the Russian regime, notes Clara Gonzales, lawyer at Greenpeace France. We support the opening of an investigation to shed light on the facts, in particular concerning the supply of fuel to the Russian air force. »
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