Nations meet on prosecution strategy for Russian war crimes

More than 40 nations met Thursday in The Hague, where the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) chief prosecutor said the countries need an “overarching strategy” for prosecuting war crimes in Ukraine. The government in Kyiv says it is investigating 20,000 potential war crimes, and other groups, including the EU and the ICC, have launched probes into the actions of Russian soldiers. The U.S. State Department human rights envoy accused Russia of committing atrocities, including rape, torture, extrajudicial executions, forced deportations, and attacks on civilian targets. The ICC doesn’t have jurisdiction to prosecute any crimes because neither Ukraine nor Russia is a member nation, but it can coordinate efforts in other countries. 

What’s happening in Ukraine? At about the same time as the meeting, Russian missiles killed at least 23 people and wounded over 100 more after three missiles hit an office and other residential buildings in Vinnytsia. Thousands of people have fled to Vinnytsia from eastern Ukraine since the war began. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of intentionally targeting civilians to cause terror. Russia has also continued shelling the Donetsk province in the eastern Donbas region.

Dig deeper: Read Marc LiVecche’s column in WORLD Opinions on soldiers and remorse.