Czech Republic joins investigation of Russian war crimes in Ukraine

This was reported by ČT24.

The Czech mission will be part of the International Criminal Court's investigation team and will be engaged on a periodic basis - for four to six weeks several times a year, depending on the needs of the ICC.

"Military police officers should be deployed primarily on the territory of Ukraine, but they can also perform tasks in the Netherlands, where the ICC is based," explained Jiri Taborsky, a spokesman for the Czech Ministry of Defense.

He recalled that the investigation of war crimes in Ukraine formally began in March 2022, when forty parties to the Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court, filed reports of crimes under international law.

The Czech military police mission is expected to last until the end of 2023. This year it is expected to cost CZK 12.4 million, and next year - CZK 17.2 million.

The Czech government's decision has yet to be approved by both houses of the country's parliament.

• On March 5, the government approved a draft agreement with the ICC on the establishment of the International Criminal Court Office in Ukraine.