Ukraine prosecuting 300 cases of war crimes
International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. Photo by AP Photo/Phil Nijhuis
276 people have been charged with war crimes in Ukraine, says Ukraine's prosecutor coordinating war crimes cases in the Hague.
Prosecutor Myroslava Krasnoborova said that Ukrainian courts have tried and convicted 26 war crime suspects, adding that the convictions were for crimes including rape and murder, the shelling of residential buildings, cruel treatment of civilians, and pillaging, the Guardian reports.
So far, Ukrainian authorities have registered more than 71,000 alleged war crimes since russia started its full-scale war on February 24, 2022, the prosecutor stated at a briefing by the Eurojust, European Union Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation, where the ICC, Lithuania, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Romania and Ukraine work together at a Joint Investigation Team for war crimes in Ukraine.
"Atrocities and destruction caused by russia are colossal and endless. Millions of people have been forced to leave everything behind. Massive missile attacks are destroying the civilian infrastructure and many tragically lost their lives," Krasnoborova said.
This damage cannot be undone, but "what we can do is ensure that those responsible are brought to justice," she added at a briefing.
To bring russia to justice for its widespread atrocities, Ukraine's law enforcement agencies are being aided in war crimes investigations by many countries and institutions. No arrest warrants have yet been issued in public by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, investigating war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Ukraine.
russia keeps denying committing atrocities or targeting civilians despite overwhelming evidence.
