ICC Field Office to open in Ukraine

An agreement was signed at the International Criminal Court (ICC) to open an ICC field prosecutor's office in Ukraine.

According to Ukrinform, Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin signed the document on behalf of Ukraine.

As Kostin said, the Government of Ukraine and the ICC signed a memorandum to open an ICC office in Ukraine. The decision to open the office was made on March 3. The parties signed the international document on March 23. This means that the team of ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan will work in Ukraine. This will allow them to stay in Ukraine for a longer period. They will also have an appropriate office protected in all possible ways, including information security. Thus, Prosecutor Khan's team will be able to work more intensively and effectively in Ukraine. They will investigate war crimes committed by Russia and Russian criminals on Ukrainian soil against Ukrainians, he added.

Ukraine's prosecutor general also stated that the office would be opened in Kyiv.

Kostin also called it a historic achievement to recognize Putin and Lvova-Belova as suspects in war crimes (such as deportation of Ukrainian children, etc.).

As Ukrinform reported, on March 17, the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber issued arrest warrants for Putin and Lvova-Belova.

Russian President and Children's Rights Commissioner are suspected of war crimes (illegal deportation and displacement of Ukrainian citizens, including children, from the occupied territory of Ukraine since at least February 24, 2022).