On the eve of the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin announced on Friday at the War Crimes Conference 2024 that Ukraine is currently investigating an estimated 120,000 potential Russian war crimes.
Speaking with Reuters at the Berlin-based conference, Kostin confirmed that his country has “identified already 511 perpetrators” and already secured “80 convictions in Ukrainian Courts.” Further elaborating on the matter after the conference through a statement on X (formerly known as Twitter), Kostin acknowledged the “Herculean task” of looking into approximately 120,000 war crimes.
In a quotation from Kostin, he conveyed strong determination despite the magnitude of the task, saying, “We have no fatigue. We have only optimism and determination. Our key principles to deal with the challenges are prioritizing cases, applying modern tools and technologies, and cooperating with international justice mechanisms and partner states. Perpetrators must not go unpunished, regardless of their ranks and positions. Ukrainian courts are considering cases against 12 Russian generals. And there will be more.”
The War Crimes Conference 2024, hosted by the German Federal Ministry of Justice, was attended by various global representatives. These included German Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann, Polish Minister of Justice Professor Adam Bodnar, and US government representatives. Buschmann, in his conference speech, affirmed Germany’s support towards Ukraine, promising to strengthen Germany’s human rights laws and increase its collaboration with Ukraine.
The conference occurred shortly before the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, prompting other international reactions. Both the US and the UK announced additional sanctions against Russia coinciding with the commemoration.
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