International Criminal Court prosecutor launches Ukraine war crimes probe

An International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor has launched an investigation that could target officials responsible for war crimes during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The investigation will include any “allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide committed on any part of the territory of Ukraine by any person,” according to a statement from ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan late Wednesday.

“Our work in the collection of evidence has now commenced,” Khan said, adding that “we will remain focused on our core objective: ensuring accountability for crimes falling within ICC jurisdiction.”

Russia does not recognize the court, and Ukraine is not a member of the ICC but signed a declaration in 2014 giving the court jurisdiction over crimes committed in 2014 and later, Reuters noted.

Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine, at least 2,000 Ukrainian civilians have been killed and 1 million people have fled the country, many of whom have sought refuge in neighboring countries.

With Moscow’s military launching attacks on hospitals and civilian centers, civilian casualties are widely expected to intensify in the coming days.

On Sunday, Ukraine’s defense ministry said approximately 4,300 Russian servicemen had been lost in the invasion.  

On Wednesday, Russian forces took control of the first city in Ukraine as fighting also intensified in the capital city of Kyiv.