France has sent special units to help Ukraine investigate Russian war crimes and to collect and examine evidence. In an official tweet dated April 11, the French Ambassador to Ukraine Etienne de Poncins wrote: “Proud to welcome in Lviv a detachment of French forensic experts who came to assist their Ukrainian comrades in the investigation of war crimes committed around Kyiv. France is the first country to provide such aid. They will begin their work tomorrow. Solidarity.”
Their arrival comes at a time when the Ukrainian authorities continue to discover more and atrocities committed by the Russian army in Kyiv Region, including mass killings, graves, and executions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously stated in an interview with American TV channel CBS that Ukraine has plenty of evidence regarding Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine, including intercepted calls, footage of looting and killings.
Meanwhile, the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, said that Russia is guilty of a “massive war crime” in Mariupol and is violating “the laws of war”. He also promised to assist Ukraine in investigating these gross violations.
A total of 42 countries have so far appealed to The International Criminal Court in The Hague to launch an investigation into Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine, with Germany pledging to contribute 1 million euros to the ICC to investigate war crimes perpetrated by the Russian army.
