More than 3,000 war crimes committed by Russians in our country are already being investigated in Ukraine, mainly by the staff of the Security Service of Ukraine, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Iryna Venediktova said on the air of the all-Ukrainian telethon.

She also noted that there were some difficulties in gathering evidence due to the active hostilities, but the investigation was ongoing.

“This evidence is lost instantly as soon as a line of fire changes. That is why such an investigation is difficult, because it takes place on the line of fire, and then the territories may be occupied,” the Prosecutor General said.

According to her, a total of 205 officials, who are declared internationally wanted, are suspects in the major case of Russia’s crimes. In particular, they are the heads of the Russian Ministry of Defence, the Interior Ministry, intelligence, and the head of the State Duma. Venediktova added that only two people – Vladimir Putin and Sergey Lavrov – had functional immunity.

As a reminder, as of 28 March, 42 countries have already appealed to the International Criminal Court (also known as The Hague Tribunal) over the war crimes committed by the Russian occupiers in Ukraine.

As Minister of Justice of Ukraine Denys Malyuska stressed, if this court recognises the commission of war crimes by Russian troops, those involved in them can be detained in any country that recognises the jurisdiction of this court.

Diplomatic passports are unlikely to help Russian political or military leaders – they will be detained in any European or other country, transferred to The Hague, and imprisoned.

Bohdan Marusyak

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