Ukraine war: Russian investigator says 92 Ukrainians charged
Moscow has charged 92 members of the Ukrainian armed forces with crimes against humanity, the head of Russia’s investigative committee has said.
Alexander Bastrykin told government news site Rossiiskaya Gazeta over 1,300 criminal investigations had begun.
He also proposed an international tribunal backed by countries including Iran, Syria and Bolivia – traditional allies of Russia.
Ukraine is also conducting its own war crimes investigations.
As well as the 92 who have already been charged by Russia, some 96 people, including 51 armed forces commanders, are wanted, Mr Bastrykin said.
The Ukrainians were involved in “crimes against the peace and security of humanity”, he said.
But this month, Ukraine said it was examining more than 21,000 war crimes and crimes of aggression allegedly committed by Russian forces since the start of the invasion in February.
And in May, the first war crimes trial since the invasion began took place in Ukraine, where a court jailed a Russian tank commander for life for killing a civilian.
The International Criminal Court (ICC), which has described Ukraine as a “crime scene”, has also sent a team of investigators and forensics experts to Ukraine.
The Kremlin denies all war crimes, or that it has been targeting civilians. It has regularly blamed Ukraine for shelling its own infrastructure and killing its own civilians – accusations that have been widely dismissed by international leaders.
Agencies