UK announces further support for Ukraine’s efforts to bring war criminals to justice

LONDON: UK announces £3.7m package to support the documentation, investigation, and prosecution of war crimes committed in Ukraine.

Package includes funding for the training of Ukrainian prosecutors in the use of open-source intelligence to identify potential crimes, and the expansion of the OPORA War Crimes Documentation Centre in Poland.

Latest announcement builds on previous pledge of up to £2.5 million and will help Ukraine hold Russian forces accountable for atrocities committed against the Ukrainian people.

The UK Government has today announced a further £3.7 million of funding to support Ukraine as it pursues justice for the victims of Russian atrocities.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Office of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General has recorded more than 110,000 cases of war crimes. In the face of Russian atrocities, the UK has stood with Ukraine, and played a leading role in ensuring that perpetrators are held accountable.

Backed by a previous UK pledge of £2.5 million, Ukrainian authorities have already made significant progress in bringing those responsible for atrocities against the Ukrainian people to justice, successfully prosecuting over 50 Russian individuals for war crimes committed in Ukraine.

The UK has now committed an additional £3.7 million of funding to support the documentation, investigation and prosecution of war crimes. UK-funded projects will give the Ukrainian authorities new skills in verifying and utilising open-source intelligence, including materials uploaded by mobile phones to social media, and train prosecutors in preparing strong and well-evidenced legal cases.

FCDO Minister of State, Lord Tariq Ahmad said: The despicable atrocities we’ve seen in Ukraine have required the Ukrainian authorities to adapt to unprecedented challenges, necessitated by Russia’s illegal invasion of a sovereign democratic state.

Through our financial backing and legal expertise, the UK will continue to stand with Ukraine as they hold perpetrators to account and ensure that survivor-centred justice is served. Our support for our Ukrainian allies is unwavering.

Alongside support for war crimes investigations, the Government has also allocated over £200k to expand the OPORA War Crimes Documentation Centre in Poland, which documents witness testimonies from Ukrainians who have been forced to flee the war. This funding is a key component of the new Trilateral Partnership on War Crimes Documentation, involving the UK, Poland, and Ukraine, which seeks to hold members of the Russian state and military accountable for their actions.

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