Europol joins international team investigating Russian war crimes in Ukraine

The EU Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation has become a participant in the joint investigation team (JIT) on alleged core international crimes committed in Ukraine.

Seven state prosecutors and Europol's Executive Director Catherine De Bolle signed the agreement today during Eurojust's 17th Meeting of the Consultative Forum.

The JIT was set up on March 25 last year by Lithuania, Poland, and Ukraine with Eurojust's support. Later, Estonia, Latvia, and Slovakia became members, followed by Romania.

Europol will provide analytical and forensic support to the members of the JIT. It will support the collection and analysis of data legally obtained from open sources such as social media, broadcast TV, or radio, which is known as Open Source Intelligence (OSINT).

Europol will also make available their expertise and experience in the field of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and other international crimes via the Analytical Project on Core International Crimes (AP CIC).

Since March 2022, the Agency has held 19 coordination meetings between the JIT and other national authorities investigating alleged serious international crimes committed in Ukraine.

Previously, the International Criminal Court opened its office in Kyiv on the morning of September 14. The work will increase the efficiency and responsiveness to Russia's war crimes. The main focus of the ICC Office in Kyiv will be the investigation of cases pending before the Court since the beginning of Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan emphasized that the office focuses on investigating all evidence of Russian war crimes. At the same time, he did not specify how many investigators would work in the ICC office, citing security concerns.