Ukraine war crimes investigation begins after UK pushes for action against Putin

A war crimes investigation into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been launched after Boris Johnson personally accused Vladimir Putin of committing atrocities in the bombing of cities.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) opened an investigation on Wednesday evening after Britain and 37 allies expelled Moscow over the attacks, which the prime minister described as “abhorrent”.

The move came as the Ukrainian capital Kiev prepared for a siege, the second largest city Kharkiv suffered further attacks and control of the port city of Kherson was contested by the Russian military.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan said work would begin “immediately”, with his team already collecting evidence after the coordinated referral cleared him to proceed with the work without judicial approval.

Mr Johnson warned the Russian president he could not “commit these terrible acts with impunity”.

The prime minister spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday morning, promising further support and weapons for forces opposing the Russian military and expressing “disgust” at the Kremlin’s attacks.

Attacks that damaged Kiev’s Babi Yar Holocaust memorial and Kharkiv’s central square sparked revulsion, and Western allies fear they signal a shift in Russian tactics toward indiscriminate attacks on urban areas.

For the first time, the UK explicitly accused Mr Putin of war crimes, with Downing Street claiming that “horrific acts” of population centers being attacked were occurring almost hourly.

In response to the Prime Minister’s questions, Mr Johnson said: “Putin has made a serious miscalculation; In his vile attack on a sovereign nation, he underestimated the extraordinary strength of the Ukrainian people and the unity and resolve of the free world in resisting their barbarism.”

He added: “What we have already seen from Vladimir Putin’s regime in terms of the use of the munitions that it has already dropped on innocent civilians, in my view, is already fully qualified as a war crime.”

More than 2,000 civilians have died since the invasion, Ukraine’s state emergency service said, although that number has not been independently verified.

The United Nations refugee agency estimates that around 874,000 people have fled Ukraine, but that number is expected to reach one million soon.

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, said on Monday he planned to launch an investigation into events in Ukraine “as soon as possible,” but the referral from 38 countries, including Ireland, Germany and Spain, allowed him to ” to initiate active investigations.

They will search for possible war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide committed by a person on the territory of Ukraine.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss had said: “Putin’s military machine is indiscriminately attacking civilians and rampaging through cities across Ukraine.”

“An investigation into Russia’s barbaric acts by the International Criminal Court is urgently needed and it is right that those responsible are held to account.”

“The UK will work closely with our allies to ensure justice is served.”

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab, a former lawyer who has prosecuted war crimes, said it was crucial to “properly preserve all evidence of war crimes.”

“Any Russian leader or officer who carries out orders that amount to war crimes should know that they can expect to end up in the dock and ultimately in prison,” he added.

Earlier on PMQS, Mr Johnson promised to publish a list of people linked to Mr Putin who could face sanctions as he said “the vice is aggravating the Putin regime” through restrictions imposed by the West.

But he was urged by Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer to immediately step up action against allies of the Russian leader.

Sir Keir, who called for Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to face sanctions, said: “Now is the time to sanction every oligarch and break up every shell company so we can prove Putin wrong.”

The Russian-Israeli billionaire later announced he would sell the club, with the “net proceeds” going to a charity supporting victims of the war in Ukraine.

U.K. officials said there would be further sanctions against oligarchs, members of Russia’s National Security Council and banks, and that they said the economic shock of the measures was more severe than Mr. Putin had expected.

They said they wanted the sanctions to continue, including banning the Swift payment system from all Russian banks.

In other developments:

– Mr Johnson announced the Government would double donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine Appeal, starting with £20 million.

– The European Union announced that seven Russian banks will be excluded from the Swift system, which enables fast and efficient interbank transactions.

– The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to demand that Russia immediately stop using force against Ukraine and withdraw its military from the country. 141 nations supported the motion and only five, including suspected co-aggressor Belarus, were against it.

– Russia said it was ready for further peace talks with Ukraine later on Wednesday.

– Ukrainian Ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko received a standing ovation from MPs in the House of Commons.

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that Kherson, in southern Ukraine near the Crimean peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014, was under the “complete control” of Russian soldiers – but the Ukrainian military denied this.

The lack of progress in achieving the invasion’s objectives had led to a change in tactics, focusing, according to Western analysts, on aerial and artillery shelling of cities rather than the kind of lightning-quick military advances originally envisioned by the Kremlin.

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said Russian forces would attempt to “crush” Ukraine’s cities using tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare.

A strike hit the regional police and intelligence headquarters in Kharkiv, killing four people and injuring several. According to the Ukrainian authorities, residential buildings were also hit.

The Ukrainian news agency Unian reported that two cruise missiles hit a hospital in Chernihiv, northern Ukraine.

Mr. Wallace said the advance of Russian forces continued to be slowed by a combination of overwhelmed logistics, low morale and courageous resistance from Ukrainian fighters.