Washington, 6 December 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Four Russians who are accused of torturing and unlawfully detaining a US citizen in Ukraine have been charged with war crimes, the US Justice Department announced on Wednesday.

The department said this is the first time that charges have been brought under the United States War Crimes Act.

The offences are alleged to have occurred after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The accused are members of the Russian armed forces or its proxy units. Two of them were described as being in a command role.

The victim lived in a small village in southern Ukraine and did not take part in the war.

The Justice Department did not disclose the whereabouts of the accused. If they are in Russia, extradition is considered highly unlikely.

The US Congress passed the War Crimes Act almost 30 years ago to enable the prosecution of war crimes against US citizens.

"The Justice Department will work for as long as it takes to pursue accountability and justice for Russia’s war of aggression," a statement said.