Ukraine war crimes probe widens as Britain estimates 15,000 Russian troops dead

A boy stands next to a wrecked vehicle in front of an apartment building in Mariupol

- SAM HANCOCK

The International Criminal Court (ICC) is joining forces with European prosecutors who are investigating allegations of war crimes committed during Russia's invasion of Ukraine as scrutiny grows over reports of rape, torture and mass killings carried out by Kremlin forces.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan has signed an agreement with prosecutors' offices from Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine, marking the tribunal's first-ever participation in an investigative team, it was announced yesterday.

“With this agreement, parties are sending a clear message that all efforts will be undertaken to effectively gather evidence on core international crimes committed in Ukraine and bring those responsible to justice,” said Eurojust, the EU's agency for criminal justice cooperation.

The news came as the British government said it believes 15,000 Russian troops have now been killed in Ukraine.

Defence secretary, Ben Wallace, told MPs: “It is our assessment that approximately 15,000 Russian personnel have been killed during their offensive.

“Alongside the death toll are the equipment losses and in total a number of sources suggest that to date over 2,000 armoured vehicles have been destroyed or captured.” 

With the conflict showing no sign of abating as it enters a third month, five train stations in central and western Ukraine were bombed yesterday, with officials saying one railway worker had been killed and four injured.