The United States has formally accused Russia of committing crimes against humanity in Ukraine, according to Vice President Kamala Harris.

The US State Department released a statement saying that Russia had committed serious human rights abuses in the country since 2014, including arbitrary detentions, torture, and extrajudicial executions.

The statement said that the US had determined that Russia had “engaged in a sustained campaign of violence, intimidation, and repression against the people of Ukraine.”

The US also accused Russia of targeting civil society activists, journalists, and members of the Ukrainian armed forces.

The US has called for an immediate end to the violence and for those responsible to be held to account.

The accusations come as tensions between the two countries have escalated in recent years.

The US has imposed sanctions on Russia and has accused the country of interfering in the 2020 US election.

Russia has denied the accusations and has accused the US of seeking to undermine its sovereignty.