The Attorney General has vowed to put Russian soldiers found guilty of war crimes in Ukraine behind bars.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Suella Braverman stressed the urgency of gathering evidence of Russia’s war crimes now.
She added she had just signed a joint statement with Ukraine’s Prosecutor General, Iryna Venediktova, to reaffirm the UK Government’s support in holding “Russia accountable for the crimes that it is committing on Ukrainian soil”.
Ms Braverman said: “Russia’s crimes might be tried in the courtrooms of Kyiv, The Hague or even in the UK; but whatever the forum, it is critical to gather the evidence now… The evidence is there, the world can see it accruing. Our job now is to collect it, preserve it and use it when the moment comes.
“We have a clear message to Russian leaders and Russian soldiers on the ground in Ukraine; your actions will have consequences and the UK will stand firmly behind Ukraine throughout its journey to justice.
“We will always defend the Ukrainian people’s right to choose their own future. They have chosen freedom and justice. And Russia’s war criminals have chosen to be behind bars.”
Ms Braverman went on to say that the Metropolitan Police have issued a call for evidence from anyone in the UK who may have direct evidence of war crimes in Ukraine.
She concluded by saying: “We have a clear message to Russian leaders and Russian soldiers on the ground in Ukraine; your actions will have consequences and the UK will stand firmly behind Ukraine throughout its journey to justice.
“We will always defend the Ukrainian people’s right to choose their own future. They have chosen freedom and justice. And Russia’s war criminals have chosen to be behind bars.”
It comes as the Deputy Prime Minister prepares to travel to the Hague on Monday to assist the international effort to gather evidence of war crimes.
Justice Secretary Dominic Raab, a former lawyer who has prosecuted war crimes, has previously said that the UK has acquired intelligence during past investigations which would prove “absolutely critical” to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The ICC has already started an investigation that could target senior officials believed to be responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide following Russian’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
