Ukraine investigating over 178,000 war crimes amid talks on peace plan and possible amnesty for Russia

This was reported by Ukrainian prosecutor Vitalii Dovhal on CBS’s 60 Minutes, according to Ukrinform.

According to Dovhal, this number of criminal proceedings had been opened by the beginning of autumn 2025.

Although trials are underway in Ukraine and 211 guilty verdicts have been issued so far, almost all of the accused remain at large.

Dovhal noted that the destruction of homes, schools, and hospitals continues, and Russians are also targeting churches, libraries, and museums.

Attorney Beth Van Schaack, who oversaw U.S. support for investigations in Ukraine when she served as the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice, described Russia’s attacks as “systematic.”

“Attacks happen in towns and villages where there are no discernible military objectives. The attack seems to be calculated to make as much destruction as possible and to terrorize the civilian population. It's an effort to subjugate and to terrorize the community in order to get the country to essentially capitulate,” Van Schaack said.

The program recalled that in 2023, the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, accusing him of abducting Ukrainian children.

“They're being kidnapped. They're being subjected to Russification, to military training. They're forced to deny their Ukrainian roots. And ultimately, they're often put up for adoption or placed in foster homes in Russia,” Van Schaack said.

This information emerged as Ukrainian and American officials are holding talks on President Donald Trump’s 28-point peace plan, which reportedly includes a proposal for full amnesty for Russians accused of war crimes, Axios writes.

As Ukrinform reported, on Sunday evening Ukraine and the United States released a joint statement following meetings between the two countries’ delegations in Geneva on achieving peace in Ukraine.

It is unclear from the joint statement whether the requirement for punishment for war crimes was discussed as part of the updated peace plan.