To date, 128 Russian servicemen have been sentenced in Ukrainian courts for crimes committed in Ukraine. Another 676 have been identified by law enforcement as suspects. These figures were announced by Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin during a discussion panel at New Country.
‘Ukraine is the first country in the world to do this. During the hot phase of the war, we not only document, we investigate, bring to court and convict. This is very important,’ said Kostin.
At the same time, he said, the huge number of victims in Ukraine has forced a change in the focus of law enforcement.
‘The tradition of the Ukrainian law enforcement system has been repressive. The main goal was to find the offender, prove his or her guilt, obtain a sentence, and send him or her to prison. While the interests of the victim in many cases were somewhere on the sidelines. The situation in which we found ourselves - hundreds of thousands of victims - led us to the conclusion that we needed to completely reorient the focus of our efforts. Because we work as a law enforcement system in the interests of victims. This is a complex process of changing not only traditions, but also the philosophy and mindset of many law enforcement officers. We are on this path together with civil society,’ said the Prosecutor General.
According to him, law enforcement officers are trying to maintain the victims' faith in justice by considering cases in absentia.
‘Sometimes our partners ask me: why do you transfer cases in absentia (a criminal case is heard in court in the absence of the defendant, resulting in a court decision in absentia, formalised by a relevant act - Ed.) You can wait. But we cannot and will not wait if we have identified the offenders and the victims know that these are the people who committed the crime against them.
We cannot wait. Why? Because even a court verdict in absentia is a very big result for many victims. I know that many of our non-governmental organisations are watching these trials. They communicate with our victims, with our investigating prosecutors. That's why we are trying to bring cases to court and get verdicts right now. This is the support, even moral support, for many people. This is the restoration of justice and dignity,’ said Kostin.
He also noted that foreign countries are actively involved in the investigation of war crimes in Ukraine.
‘Today, we are cooperating with more than 27 countries that have either launched their own investigations or are collecting evidence of crimes committed by Russians,’ said the Prosecutor General.