Joint Investigation Team members sign agreement to investigate genocide in Ukraine

The document was signed in Vilnius after a working meeting of the group, the Prosecutor General's Office reported

"Iternational cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of genocide is reaching a new level. We are joining forces with partners to investigate this 'crime of crimes'. The agreement will facilitate the exchange of evidence and information, and the work of the JIT will be strengthened by international experts," said Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin.

He added that since the first days of Russia's full-scale invasion, it has become clear that the massive and systematic nature of war crimes committed in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine has signs of persecution of Ukrainians as a national group. After all, in virtually every settlement liberated from the occupiers, cases of murder of civilians, torture, sexual violence, looting, and destruction of civilian objects were recorded. More than 19,000 cases of forced deportation of children have also been recorded.

"Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, we have seen a system of war crimes committed by the Russian Federation. Currently, we are checking two main aspects in our investigations: whether certain war crimes have signs of genocide and whether the identified patterns indicate a planned genocidal policy," Kostin said.

Lithuanian Prosecutor General Nida Grunskiene emphasised that joint actions aimed at ensuring rapid and real coordination and interaction of law enforcement agencies are not just a practical, logistical step. 

"This is a signal to the world that those responsible for the military invasion will not weaken our common commitment to a free and democratic society," she said.

During the two-day coordination meeting in Vilnius, the participants discussed the progress of the investigations and their directions, consulted on important decisions in the JIT's activities, as well as on the possibility of Europol joining the JIT.