Ukraine investigating over 21,000 alleged war crimes by Russian forces, prosecutor reveals

Around 200-300 war crimes by Russian forces are being reported per day

Ukraine is said to be investigating more than 21,000 war crimes by Russian forces committed since Putin's invasion began on February 24, 2022. Following the International Criminal Court describing the state of the war-torn nation as nothing short of a "crime scene" and the UN having condemned the endless atrocities in the months since the campaign in Crimea began, officials have now revealed the sheer extent of the war crimes being reported on a daily basis. Ukraine's prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova told BBC’s World Service Outside Source that her team has logged more than 21,000 alleged war crimes already and currently investigating around 200-300 new cases per day. She went on to admit that while many trials would be held in absentia (culprits will not be present) but stressed that it was "a question of justice" to continue with the prosecutions, the numerous soldiers accused of killing, torturing and raping civilians "should understand that it's only a question of time when they all will be in court". Atrocities and international war crimes have been reported in the likes of Bucha, Mariupol, Kharkiv, Borodyanka and many more, with mass graves found in several of these regions, including towns close to the capital, Kyiv. It is currently estimated that nearly 5,000 civilians have been killed, approximately 335 of those being children, and more than 6,780 injured since the fighting began. Back in May, Venediktova said that around 600 suspects had been identified and at least 80 prosecutions had already begun - it is unclear what the number has risen to in the interim. The first Russian soldier to be put on trial in Ukraine was Sgt Vadim Shishimarin, who was sentenced to life in prison for killing a civilian in May - but countless others are set to follow as proceedings continue.

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