Russia's use of winter as war tool must not go unnoticed - prosecutor general

As reported by Ukrinform, Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin spoke of this during a meeting with the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry to investigate crimes of Russian aggression against Ukraine, the Prosecutor General’s Office reports.

Also, during the meeting with the commissioners, who are visiting the country, Kostin noted that the main task of the prosecutors is to ensure justice for the victims of Russian crimes.

"We closely monitor the work of the Commission and take into account the conclusions drawn in the UN reports. The war waged by the aggressor aims to terrorize and freeze the civilian population in the cold winter. More than ten million Ukrainians do not have water, electricity and heating. Russia's use of winter as a means of waging war cannot remain unnoticed by international institutions," Kostin said.

The head of the UN International Commission, Eric Möse, noted fruitful cooperation with the Prosecutor General's Office.

Also during the meeting, the parties discussed the specifics of the investigation of war and other international crimes, as well as the challenges faced by prosecutors.

"The main task of prosecutors is to ensure justice for the victims, because this is what they expect from the investigation. Prosecutors are working to ensure that those guilty of each crime are identified and prosecuted, Kostin emphasized.

The Prosecutor General separately noted the effective cooperation with the UN Special Representative Pramila Patten and her team. They have been involved in the creation of the Strategy for ensuring a victim and witness-centered approach to conflict-related sexual violence case management.

The strategy will be employed by prosecutors at all levels when probing cases of conflict-related sexual violence. With the support of partners, active work is also underway on the development of the War Crimes Investigation Strategy.

As reported by Ukrinform, during the latest visit to Ukraine, the UN Commission paid considerable attention to the destruction of civil infrastructure, in particular energy and transport networks.