Executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by occupiers are deliberate policy of Russian Federation, their number has increased over past year - Kostin
Over the past year, the number of executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by the occupiers has increased, and such crimes are not isolated incidents but a deliberate policy of the Russian Federation.
According to Censor.NET, citing the Prosecutor General's Office, Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin spoke about the investigation of Russian crimes during the war in an interview with the Belgian media outlet La Libre.
"Most Russian war criminals have been convicted in absentia by Ukrainian courts, but a court verdict is fundamental to the process of restoring justice and healing the victims," the statement said.
Kostin stressed that investigating war crimes during the conflict is extremely difficult.
"We document, investigate, and prosecute every crime committed by the aggressor in national courts. But our task goes much further. We are implementing a methodology for prosecuting more specific crimes, such as sexual violence, crimes against children, and environmental crimes," the Prosecutor General said.
He said that over the past year, the number of executions of Ukrainian prisoners of war by the occupiers has increased. Torture and summary executions are used as a weapon of war, intimidation, and destruction.
"We can prove that these cases are not isolated incidents, but an organised and targeted policy. For example, we have an audio recording of a Russian officer ordering his troops not to take prisoners on the battlefield but to kill Ukrainians," Kostin said.
According to him, one of the key tasks for justice is to hold Russia and its leadership accountable for the crime of aggression, without which more than 140,000 war crimes would not have occurred.
"It is important to bring to justice the masterminds of this invasion - the president, the prime minister, the members of the so-called 'troika' - and show them that they can be held accountable, despite the gaps in international law. The ICC does not have jurisdiction in this matter, but we are working on a legal formula with about 40 states around the world," the Prosecutor General stressed.
In addition, he reminded that if Russian dictator Vladimir Putin dares to attend the G20 meeting in Brazil, he must be arrested.
"The refusal to execute the arrest warrant strengthens Russia's position. All our hopes now rest on the independence of the Brazilian judiciary," Kostin concluded.
