Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin on Thursday in The Hague called on Russia to be “assessed and qualified” as a “state sponsor of terrorism” for using “intimidation tactics” against civilians during the invasion, which is a “classic act of terror”. ” is prohibited by international law, reports the EFE agency, citing Agerpres.

At a press conference at Eurojust’s headquarters in The Hague, Kostin explained that on October 10, Russia launched a “massive missile attack” on Ukrainian cities and towns such as Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and Lviv (Lviv), killing at least 17 people. 93 victims, according to the updated balance sheet.

“It had no military purpose. Russia’s targeted attacks are designed to cause civilian casualties and destroy civilian infrastructure, disrupting electricity and heating, causing a humanitarian catastrophe. Along with other methods of intimidation of the civilian population, this is classic terror prohibited by international law,” the Ukrainian Prosecutor General emphasized.

Therefore, in his opinion, now is “the right time to assess and qualify the Russian Federation as a state sponsor of terrorism.”

According to Kostin, Ukrainian justice is already investigating at least 186 people on “suspicion of committing war crimes” during the February 24 Russian invasion.

Of these, about 45 cases are currently pending in Ukrainian courts after completion of the investigation, and ten people have already been convicted of war crimes.

The Ukrainian prosecutor emphasized that the alleged crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine “are crimes not only against the Ukrainian population, but against the entire civilized world, and they commit them not only on the territory of Ukraine, but also outside its borders,” referring to forced deportations peaceful Ukrainian population to the territory of Russia.

“The only possible way for all of us to avoid impunity is to be together, unite and coordinate our efforts (…) We can only win this war of evil against the civilized world by uniting. And I think we will win,” he expressed conviction.

On the other hand, Romanian judicial authorities announced on Thursday that they are joining the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) on alleged serious international crimes committed in Ukraine, formed by six other countries (Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Slovakia) and coordinated by Eurojust in The Hague.

This European agency, which provides logistical and operational support to joint task force partners and Ukrainian investigators, will also launch a program to store, preserve and analyze evidence of war crimes in a special database.

The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, added that the investigations are progressing at a speed that confirms the necessity and justification of the cooperation that began so early, recalling that the joint investigative team was created back in March. and since May, the prosecutor’s office had a “permanent presence on the ground” in Ukraine with the help of several European countries “to make sure that the truth is not the first casualty of the war.”

Russians suspected of war crimes in Ukraine may appear before the International Criminal Court

Khan said the law was “not political” and stressed his “firm determination” that alleged war crimes committed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine should be prosecuted in Ukraine, in a third country or internationally, EFE reported.

At the same time, Ukraine can extradite suspects in Russian war crimes to the International Criminal Court, which is based in The Hague, even if Moscow is not a member, Khan said, as quoted by AFP.

There is a possibility that Russian citizens will appear before the ICC if their trial cannot be held in Ukraine for legal reasons, the court’s general prosecutor noted.

Russia, which invaded Ukraine on February 24, is not a member of the ICC, which was created in 2002 to try people accused of the world’s worst crimes, such as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

At the same time, “from a legal point of view, yes, this will not be an obstacle to our jurisdiction,” Khan said at a press conference in Eurojust.

In case of “necessity” and if there is “a reason why these trials cannot take place in Ukraine, regardless of the reason for certain additional legal provisions that we have or not, I am sure that we will get cooperation from Ukraine,” he added. .

The ICC launched its own investigation into the war in Ukraine shortly after the Russian invasion, but has said it wants Ukraine to bring suspects to justice on its own as far as possible.

Kareem Khan did not say when he expects the ICC to issue its first charges, saying he expects “there will be enough evidence”.

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