Information on extrajudicial killings of Ukrainian soldiers by Russia sent to ICC

Information on extrajudicial killings of Ukrainian soldiers by Russia sent to ICC

Ukrinform
Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) has sent information to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague regarding the extrajudicial killings of nine servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the battles of Ilovaisk and Debaltseve, the PGO's press service has reported.

"The PGO has sent an information notice to the International Criminal Court regarding the extrajudicial killings by Russia of nine servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the battles of Ilovaisk and Debaltseve," the report reads.

It says that the notice to the ICC's Office of the Prosecutor was prepared and forwarded under Article 15 of the Rome Statute by lawyers of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union and prosecutors of the Department for Oversight of Criminal Proceedings with Respect to Crimes Committed in Armed Conflict.

"The essence of the notice consists of extrajudicial killings of nine servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces by representatives of the pro-Russian organized group 'Don Army Region Cossack Union' during the fighting for Ilovaisk in 2014 and for Debaltseve in 2015. The notice will be considered by the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court along with other episodes of serious violations of international humanitarian law committed by pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine in 2014-2019," the PGO added.

The report also notes that Ukraine provided photo and video evidence directly indicating the capture of Ukrainian military, evidence of the murder of prisoners, documents confirming the death of servicemen in captivity.

"The report also highlights the practice of conducting military operations by proxy, that is, the Russian Federation involving illegal armed formations, controlled by it, in the conflict. The Office of the Prosecutor was informed that the illegal armed formations might be used by Russia not only to achieve military superiority, but also to commit grave violations of international humanitarian law," the PGO said.

In addition, the report notes that the PGO continues to collect evidence of Russia waging an aggressive war against Ukraine, war crimes, and crimes against humanity in order to ensure the inevitability of punishment.

The PGO recalled that five notices on events in Donbas had been sent to the ICC. In particular, they concerned the liability for committing war crimes and crimes against humanity by so-called "DPR" leaders Igor Girkin (Strelkov), Alexander Zakharchenko, Igor Bezler, and others.

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