Russia-Ukraine conflict: International Criminal Court launches war crimes probe over invasion

Russia continues in its attempt to further invade and seize control of Ukraine to this day without any signs of stopping from the Kremlin. This has also led the International Criminal Court at The Hague to launch an investigation into the potential war crimes committed by Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.

According to Axios, International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan said Monday that following a review, there are grounds for opening an investigation into potential war crimes related to the invasion of Ukraine.

“I have reviewed the Office’s conclusions arising from the preliminary examination of the situation in Ukraine, and have confirmed that there is a reasonable basis to proceed with opening an investigation,” said Khan.

“Given the expansion of the conflict in recent days, it is my intention that this investigation will also encompass any new alleged crimes falling within the jurisdiction of my Office that are committed by any party to the conflict on any part of the territory of Ukraine.”

The ICC’s announcement also follows calls from countries such as Lithuania, as reported by The Guardian, for the judicial body to launch an investigation into the possible war crimes Russia is committing with its invasion. Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte telling the Washington Post that she hopes Putin will be tried at The Hague.

The invasion of Ukraine has also led to many countries in the world uniting against Putin’s aggression. Al Jazeera reports that over 100 diplomats from around 40 countries walked out of remarks by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the United Nations in Geneva in protest of the invasion.

The boycott was made by diplomats from the European Union countries, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and several other countries. The diplomats from Syria, China, Venezuela, as well as Russia’s ambassador to the UN Gennady Gatilov, remained in the chamber.

Ukrainian ambassador to the UN Yevheniia Filipenko, who led the boycott, thanked those who participated in the walkout.

Lavrov was addressing the Human Rights Council remotely, having canceled his visit due to the barring of Russian aircraft into European airspace. In his remarks, Lavrov tried to justify the ongoing invasion into Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of committing human rights violations.