Moscow: We are not obligated to cooperate with the International Criminal Investigation in Ukraine

Moscow-Sana

Russia has stated that it reserves the right not to cooperate with the international investigation by the International Criminal Court into alleged war crimes in Ukraine.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said in a statement today that Moscow takes note of the announcement on the 25th of this month that the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor has joined the joint investigation team that was formed under the auspices of the European Union Agency for Judicial Affairs “Eurojust”, which includes both From Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine.

Zakharova stated that "the method of operation of such structures is well known," adding that the results of the new investigation are likely to be "biased and one-sided," and a reminder in this regard to the international investigation into the disaster of the crash of the Malaysian Boeing in Donbass on July 17, 2014.

The diplomacy stressed that the new team includes "the strongest supporters of the abuse of international justice to discredit Russia with complete disregard for the facts," adding that the ICC prosecutor with this step "showed that it is not even trying to pretend as a neutral institution" and "joins a trial in which the perpetrators were pre-identified." “.

Zakharova accused the International Criminal Court of politicization, describing it as "a body that has nothing to do with independent justice" and held the court's prosecution and the countries involved in the new investigation responsible for "ignoring the suffering of the Donbass people, who for the past eight years have been victims of the crimes of the Kyiv regime."

The spokeswoman indicated that the Russian Investigative Committee had documented the deaths of 2.6 thousand civilians and the wounding of more than five thousand others during the conflict in Donbass, especially as a result of Kyiv's use of internationally prohibited weapons.

She pointed out that non-governmental organizations in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics sent more than three thousand files to the International Criminal Court on crimes committed against the residents of the two republics, without receiving any clear response from the Hague Court so far.

"We recall that Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and is not obligated to cooperate with it, but we will continue to closely follow the work of this body," Zakharova said.