Investigations into War Crimes in Ukraine are being accelerated in Germany. “As of December 2024, over 700 tips on possible war crimes in the international armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine are in the possession of German law enforcement authorities” the government’s response to a parliamentary inquiry from the Union faction, reported by the Welt am Sonntag, states.
More than “200 witnesses” have been questioned and “investigations against individuals” have been launched. Günter Krings (CDU), the member of the Bundestag who submitted the inquiry, told the Welt am Sonntag, “The crimes in question include torture, premeditated killings, sexual violence, the abduction of thousands of children, and attacks on the energy supply.” The victims have the right to see the whole truth come to light in the eyes of the world.
General Public Prosecutor Jens Rommel is currently investigating Russian war crimes in Ukraine in a so-called structural investigation. The Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) has been tasked with the investigation, and its “Central Office for the Prosecution of War Crimes” is cooperating with the Federal Intelligence Service (BND), the International Criminal Court, Europol, and the law enforcement agencies of Ukraine.
BKA President Holger Münch told the Welt am Sonntag, “We want to bring those responsible for war crimes to court. This work is not only a contribution to justice, but also a signal that the most serious human rights violations will not go unresponded to.” His agency is collecting tips from Ukrainians who have fled to Germany, and a BKA liaison officer is active in Kiev. The goal of the investigations, according to Münch, is to identify the perpetrators, obtain arrest warrants, and bring them to justice, either in Germany or the International Criminal Court in the Hague.
Since the start of the war, thousands of Ukrainian children have been abducted to Russia, where they live in orphanages and foster families. According to the organization SOS Kinderdorf weltweit, there are more than 20,000 children. UNICEF, the children’s aid organization, currently has no access to the regions of the Russian Federation, but is providing technical and operational assistance in the search and reunification of families. Aaron Greenberg, UNICEF’s child protection advisor, told the Welt am Sonntag, “UNICEF remains deeply concerned about the number of children who have been separated from their family members during the war in Ukraine.”
Leading politicians in the Berlin government coalition are calling for the perpetrators to be convicted. Konstantin von Notz (Greens), chairman of the Parliamentary Control Committee for the Intelligence Services, told the Welt am Sonntag, “Political actors in the Russian state leadership bear direct responsibility for systematic war crimes like the abduction of thousands of children.” Michael Roth (SPD), chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Bundestag, also criticizes the “systematic deportations” and the “targeted indoctrination” of children by Russia, saying, “They are part of a perverse strategy to erase Ukrainian identity. So far, only about 1,000 children have been rescued.” The top priority must be to bring every single child back to its family.