War in Ukraine: 26,000 cases of suspected war crimes under investigation

Ukraine is investigating nearly 26,000 cases of suspected war crimes committed since Russia’s February 24 invasion and has indicted 135 people, Ukraine’s war crimes prosecutor-general told Reuters.

Of the accused, about 15 people are in custody in Ukraine and the remaining 120 remain at large, Yuriy Bilushov, head of the war crimes department of the Prosecutor General’s office, said in an interview in Kyiv.

Thirteen cases have been filed in court and seven verdicts have been issued, he said.

In May, a 21-year-old captured Russian soldier became the first person to stand trial for war crimes in Ukraine since Russia’s February 24 invasion. He was sentenced to life in prison for killing an unarmed civilian.

“We are sometimes asked why we are prosecuting such… low-ranking officers. Just because they have a presence here… If generals were here of course and we could arrest them, we would definitely prosecute generals,” Bilusov said.

Source: News Beast

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