Approximately 17,000 criminal proceedings on war crimes have been registered in Kharkiv region, while 98,000 war crimes have been recorded in Ukraine as a whole.

Yuriy Belousov, head of the Department for Counteracting Crimes Committed in the Context of Armed Conflict, said this in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

“For instance, we currently have about 17,000 criminal proceedings for war crimes in the entire Kharkiv region. The courts should consider extending the terms at the location of the pre-trial investigation body,” Belousov said.

In addition, the Office of the Prosecutor General has confirmed data on 10,749 civilians killed and 15,599 wounded since the beginning of the full-scale war.

According to the prosecutor and their colleagues from the SSU and the National Police, they have identified hundreds of thousands of Russians in Ukraine. There are relevant databases with all identified Russians – military and intelligence officers. Not all of them committed war crimes.

Bilousov says it is essential to understand that violations of military borders during an armed conflict are not crimes according to international standards. The Ukrainian law enforcement system is guided by these standards and the rule of law matters.

Out of 54 sentences for Russian war criminals, 15 were real, not in absentia. As usual, these are low-ranking military men, privates or lower-ranking officers, because generals do not fall into our hands during the battle, although they die here, fortunately for us. Most of the convicts are sentenced in absentia, but there is a certain percentage of prisoners of war.

See also

Russian army plans to resume the offensive in Kupyansk direction — Kharkiv governor. The pace of the Russian offensive on the Kupyansk-Svatove-Kreminna line has slowed somewhat due to losses among soldiers and equipment. Russian army units are currently rotating and replenishing their resources, indicating their intention to resume the offensive.

50,000 Ukrainians have lost arms or legs due to war. The WSJ article states that the actual number of amputees may be higher, as prosthetics take time to be made, and some victims wait weeks or even months after being injured for amputation.