ICC investigates Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrived in Ukraine on Tuesday to investigate Russian attacks on energy and other infrastructure that have killed hundreds of civilians and left millions without power and water.The Geneva Conventions and additional protocols drafted by international tribunals stipulate that parties to a military conflict must distinguish between “civilian objects and military objectives” and that attacks on civilian objects are prohibited.“In general, we see a clear trend, I think, in terms of the number, scale and pervasiveness of attacks on the Ukrainian power grid, and we need to look at why this is happening; are they legitimate targets or not? said ICC prosecutor Karim Khan.Khan spoke in Vyshgorod, a town north of Kiev, near the power plant where a Russian missile killed eight civilians and injured scores more in late November.”We need to find out what pattern, if any, it shows because these are not isolated cases,” Khan said.The ICC and Ukrainian courts have registered over 70,000 alleged war crimes, the vast majority of which will be tried in domestic courts.The ICC, based in The Hague, has jurisdiction to prosecute war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Ukraine. These cases can take years to prepare.Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin, who accompanied Khan to Vyshgorod, spoke highly of the cooperation between the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office and the ICC.”We are truly united in our common goal…to achieve justice for all Ukrainians, for Ukraine as a country,” Kostin said. “More than 99% of them will be prosecuted and brought before Ukrainian courts.”Evidence collected to date by Western and Ukrainian authorities, particularly in areas occupied by Russian troops that have been liberated, points to widespread abuses, including torture, executions, forced deportations and sexual abuse.