Overwhelming evidence suggests Russian troops have committed over 58,000 war atrocities, turning Ukraine into the world’s biggest crime scene.
Investigators say Moscow has waged total war, breaching international law with a horror catalogue of murders, sex attacks, kidnappings and indiscriminate bombings.
At least 600 incidents violating war laws include dozens or hundreds of civilian victims, multiplying war-crimes files into thousands of individual breaches.
But many commanders and officials are fugitives, having fled back to Russia, leading to fears lowly soldiers may bear the brunt of the allegations.
Separately, Ukraine on Friday revealed more than 15,000 people are missing throughout the country.
Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, said: "Ukraine is a crime scene."
Baby-faced tank commander Vadim Shishimarin, 21, was the first Russian tried on war crimes charges and having surrendered, landed a 15 year jail sentence on appeal.
He shot a 62 year-old civilian in the head, under orders.
Critics said the initial penalty of life was unduly harsh, as he confessed, said he was following orders and expressed remorse.
But Ukrainian prosecutors have not yet been able to charge commanders.
Ukraine has named over 600 Russians, many high-ranking political and military officials, as suspects, including Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu.
Philippe Sands, a prominent British human rights lawyer, says: "It would be terrible to find a scenario in which, in the end, you convict a few people of war crimes and crimes against humanity who are low-grade or mid-grade military types or paramilitary types, but the top table gets off scot-free.”
Investigators have catalogued incidents verified by photos, videos or firsthand witness accounts including 93 school attacks, 36 where children were killed, and over 200 direct attacks on civilians, including torture, kidnapping and killing of civilians.
Targets included: churches, cultural centers, hospitals, food facilities and electrical infrastructure.
The database catalogues the use of cluster bombs and other weapons banned in civilian areas.
The Mariupol Theatre attack, which was clearly marked as a civilian shelter, likely killed more than 600 people.
Stephen Rapp, a former US Ambassador for war crimes, said:
"That's a crime against the laws of war.
"Once somebody's injured, they're entitled to medical care. You can't attack a hospital. That's the oldest rule we have in international law."
As detectives probe the crimes the war still rages, although it is believed Russian President Vladimir Putin is not being given the full picture of his disastrous campaign.
Sources say commanders are delaying reports of defeats in battle and troop losses in case they are scale-goated.
Russia is desperately short of missiles and increasingly are relying on Iranian Kamikaze drones and other munitions from North Korea.
Some missiles are misfiring so badly that they have crashed to the ground some 360 miles from the nearest Ukrainian-held territory.
They were Russian KH-101 cruise missiles, with Moscow markings.
The first set fell around December 16 in Yelansky district, Volgograd region.
Four more missiles fell to the ground in Rudnyansky district on December 29.
