Ukraine has said it has found over 1,200 bodies in the Kyiv region alone as it alleges Moscow of war crimes with 500 suspects identified.
Ukraine’s prosecutor Iryna Venediktova on Sunday described Russian president Vladimir Putin as the “main war criminal of 21st century” as she shared the figures of bodies recovered from the Kyiv region, many areas of which were under the Russian control for weeks before Moscow’s retreat.
“We have actually now, only for this morning, 1,222 dead people only in Kyiv region,” Ms Venediktova said in an interview with Sky News.
“Of course what we see on the ground, in all regions of Ukraine is war crimes, crime against humanity,” she said, adding that what Ukraine has found in the eastern parts is “still frightening”.
Ukraine has repeatedly called for Russia to be tried for war crimes as mass graves emerged in the town of Bucha, 57km from Kyiv, and many other areas. Some bodies were found with their hands tied and with signs of torture as Russia retreated.
The UN on Sunday said 4,232 civilian casualties had been recorded in Ukraine to date, with 1,793 killed and 2,439 injured.
Ms Venediktova said there are about 5,600 cases in Ukraine “only about war crimes,” insisting that there is evidence.
She also said it has identified 500 Russian suspects for aggression against Ukraine, including top military officials, politicians and propaganda agents “who have done everything to start this war and they continue this war against Ukraine.”
When asked whether Mr Putin is one of the 500 identified suspects, Ms Venediktova said: “Vladimir Putin is the main war criminal of 21st century.”
She said Ukraine understands Putin’s role but respects international law, adding that since he holds the position of a president, one of the three positions to hold functional immunity, hence he is not a suspect on the list.
“If prosecutor of the international criminal court decided to prosecute them, they will be responsible for all their crimes.”
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