Three Russian pilots suspected of bombing civilian buildings in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions are among at least seven Russian soldiers against whom Kyiv is preparing categories for war crimes, told the office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
According to the same source, among the other Russian war crimes suspects are two rocket launchers, which allegedly bombed settlements in the Kharkiv region, and two troopswho are suspected of killing a resident of the Kiev region and raping his wife.
The prosecutor’s office said it had informed the men that they were suspects and that investigations were ongoing, adding that no charges had been filed in court. He did not name the suspects or give any evidence to support the allegations. He said some of the suspects were being held captive, without specifying where, while other charges were to be handed down in absentia.
Ukraine says it is investigating about 7,600 possible war crimes and at least 500 suspects after the invasion of Russia on 24 February. Attorney General Irina Venediktova told Reuters that many of the suspects were in Russia, but that some had been taken prisoner by Ukraine. Speaking in an interview earlier this month, the prosecutor said her office intends to turn against the administrative chain of Russian political and military hierarchy.
Venediktova added that she plans to prosecute both Ukrainian courts and the International Criminal Court in The Hague, the world permanent tribunal for war crimes.
The Kremlin and the Russian Defense Ministry did not respond to a request for comment. Moscow has denied accusations by Ukraine and Western countries of war crimes and has denied targeting civilians in what it calls a “special military operation” by the Kremlin to demilitarize its neighbor.
Ukrainian investigation is at the heart of multiple efforts to investigate possible conflict-related war crimes, including International Criminal Court. Investigations are in the very early stages, according to people who know about them. The ICC has sent a team to the area to begin investigations.
Moscow has accused Kyiv of committing genocide of Russian-speakers, something that Kyiv categorically denies. Russia has also opened criminal cases against Ukrainian servicemen for allegedly torturing their Russian counterparts.
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