Ukraine preparing 41 war crimes cases against Russian troops, avers prosecutor general

Amidst the ongoing war in Eastern Europe, Ukraine's Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova claimed that her office was compiling as many as 41 war crime cases against invading Russian troops. Speaking at a live briefing on Ukrainian TV, Venediktova said, "We have 41 suspects in cases with which we will be ready to go to court. All of them concern Article 438 of the (Ukrainian) criminal code on war crimes, but different types of war crimes," the Associated Press (AP) reported. She also stated that there is the bombing of civilian infrastructure, the killing of civilians, rape as well as incidents of looting being taken into consideration. 

As per reports, it was unclear how many of the suspects would be tried in their absence. On Friday, a 21-year-old Russian soldier was on trial in Kyiv for the slaying of an unarmed Ukrainian citizen in the early days of the war, marking the first war crime prosecution of a member of the Russian military in the city. The office of the Prosecutor General stated that the accused has been violating the laws and customs of war (ch. 2nd century 438 cc of Ukraine). It further noted that the defendant will be in custody during the trial period and the subsequent meeting is scheduled for May 18. 

Two more suspects likely to face preliminary hearings next week: Ukraine's prosecutor general

Venediktova also said that two more suspects, who are currently in Ukraine, are expected to face preliminary hearings next week. Earlier, the Ukrainian government claimed that it has enough evidence against Russian war crimes. Speaking at the national telethon on April 30, Ukraine's Justice Minister Denys Malyuska expressed confidence that Kyiv has significant evidence of Russian war crimes including genocide.

Russia-Ukraine war

Malyuska further noted that both Ukrainian national courts, as well as international bodies, can pass sentences on the Russian leadership and its military. These include the International Criminal Court (ICC), a tribunal recently established by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and other courts, Radio Liberty reported. It is pertinent to mention here that the war between Russia and Ukraine continues to escalate and entered its day 80th on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Defence Ministry claimed on Saturday that Russia has lost nearly 27,200 soldiers since the onset of the war on February 24. 

Image: AP