ICC prosecutor seeks investigation into Ukraine war crimes -statement

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday said she would seek permission to open a formal investigation into whether war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed during the Ukraine conflict.

Fatou Bensouda, whose office has been conducting an examination into possible atrocities in the conflict in eastern Ukraine at the invitation of Kyiv since 2014, said she had "reasonable basis to believe that a broad range of conduct constituting war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed" during the conflict. Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014, and fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine the following month between pro-Russian rebels and Ukrainian government forces.

Bensouda said her examination's findings included crimes committed during the hostilities, crimes committed during detentions, and crimes in Crimea. She did not name any suspects or indicate which party to the conflict might have committed crimes. Judges must agree before Bensouda, whose term ends in June, can open a formal investigation.

In a reaction, Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kubela called the decision "historic." "International justice may not be served fast, but it is surely inevitable," he said in a message on Twitter. "One day, Russian criminals will face trial."

Russia is not a member of the Hague-based court, set up in 2002 to prosecute atrocities committed on the territory of member states when they are unwilling or unable to prosecute them themselves.