Prosecutor General’s Office notified 877 Russians under suspicion of war crimes

As of mid-May, the Prosecutor General’s Office has officially notified 877 individuals of suspicion for committing war crimes. Of these, 628 indictments have been forwarded to national courts. To date, verdicts have been issued against 164 individuals, 18 of whom are currently in Ukraine, as reported by Yuriy Bielousov, head of the War Crimes Department at the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Photo: MIPL

Bielousov noted that the Prosecutor General’s Office is currently investigating over 162,000 cases of war crimes committed since the full-scale invasion.

He noted that the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued six arrest warrants for Russian perpetrators within the first year of the war: “They have never had such a result. They are largely based on our evidence. This is an additional argument that the quality must be exceptional“.

Bielousov reiterated that 877 individuals have been officially notified of suspicion for committing war crimes. Of these, 628 indictments were sent to national courts. Currently, verdicts have been issued against 164 individuals, 18 of whom are in Ukraine.

“For the rest, the in absentia procedure was used. Our partners criticise us for not having a single convicted Russian general. Well, bring them here. We will convict them quickly. But typically, they don’t run around in trenches. And going to Moscow to detain them is quite difficult for now. Therefore, as a rule, we physically have rank-and-file or officer-level personnel,” the head of the War Crimes Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office stated.

According to the official, the greatest responsibility for committing war crimes lies with the chain of command, which must be punished. In addition to officers, direct perpetrators must also be brought to justice. This ensures that victims will know, for example, that “Colonel M” was responsible for a certain settlement and was held accountable.

Bielousov also explained the purpose of in absentia convictions. He stated that a verdict allows for its enforcement in other jurisdictions. If a war criminal leaves the Russian Federation, they can be apprehended there and serve their sentence. Furthermore, it is another effective tool for freezing and seizing the assets of these individuals abroad.

“The accused will not travel to a certain country because they know there is a verdict against them. They will no longer be able to use their villas and yachts,” Bielousov emphasised.

By way of background, on May 14, in Lviv, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe launched a legal procedure for the creation of a Special Tribunal to investigate the crime of aggression committed by Russia against Ukraine.