Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to reports of Russian attacks on civilians in Ukraine, what steps is his Department taking to collect eyewitness evidence from Ukrainians living in the UK to support the prosecution of Russian military personnel for those crimes.

Russia’s use of indiscriminate force against innocent civilians in its illegal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine amounts to war crimes. We are committed to accountability for the atrocities perpetuated by Russian forces in Ukraine and are actively engaging with our international partners to ensure that these crimes are investigated.

We are dedicated to supporting the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into the situation in Ukraine, including through seconding national experts and a financial contribution of £1 million from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund. We will continue our support for the ICC through a Justice Ministers Conference, co-hosted with the Netherlands in March 2023, which will focus on enhancing technical and practical assistance to the Court.

In addition, the UK has embedded a dedicated Met Police liaison officer in The Hague to facilitate information sharing from the UK to the ICC. To gather evidence of war crimes, the Metropolitan Police SO15 War Crimes Team has worked with Ukrainian Community Groups in the UK, completing a number of appeals for witnesses through traditional and digital media platforms. In line with this, the SO15 War Crimes reporting portal has Ukrainian and Russian language options, and it also allows for media files to be uploaded.