Proof of Russian war crimes sent to Hague tribunal says justice minister

Poland’s justice minister has said Polish prosecutors have interviewed 1,700 witnesses of alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

Zbigniew Ziobro, who is also prosecutor general, said all the evidence gathered, including film and photographic material, had been sent to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

The court, he added, was currently acquainting itself with the evidence.

"In the course of very intensive inquiries, we have to date questioned 1,700 witnesses, and we have decided that several hundred of these witness accounts are essential for investigations into war crimes committed during this aggressive war waged by Russia," Ziobro said.

He added that Poland was the first country to launch investigations into Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

Dariusz Barski, Poland's national prosecutor and in charge of the war crime investigation, said their main focus was on killings of civilians, torture, the destruction of property, and illegal deportations.

Poland launched an official probe into alleged Russian war crimes committed in Ukraine on February 28, 2022.

In March, prosecutors from Poland, Ukraine and Lithuania formed a joint investigation team, subsequently joined by Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Romania and the ICC.