War in Ukraine: Germany accumulates evidence of war crimes

"At the moment we are concentrating on Boutcha and the attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine," said Peter Frank, interviewed by the Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

And these are "hundreds" of elements proving war crimes on the part of the Russians who have already reached the German judges, who have been investigating the situation in Ukraine since March 2022.

In the kyiv suburb of Bucha, hundreds of bodies were discovered after the Russian army was driven out in March 2022. Dozens of civilians were killed without a fight, as two journalists from Le Parisien.

Ukrainian forces had arrested Russian soldiers, who were indicted and some tried.

Berlin does not want to prosecute performers, but the principals.

“Who do we want to bring to justice?

The leaders - those who have taken the decision to go to war - and those who at the highest level of the army apply this decision, ”noted Peter Frank.

"We do not investigate specific people, rather we gather information and evidence", specifies however Peter Frank.

Most of the evidence comes from interviews with Ukrainian refugees and so far no individual has been implicated.

"Prepare for a possible trial in the future"

As of April, Ukraine had already opened 5,600 investigations into war crimes committed by Russian soldiers in Ukraine.

The work of the German federal prosecutor is distinct from the Ukrainian steps, as well as those of France: in the spring, the French office in charge of crimes against humanity (OCLCH) set up a cell of investigators dedicated to Ukraine.

But the approach is the same: "to prepare for a possible trial in the future - whether in Germany or with one of our international partners or via an international court", justifies Peter Frank.

Because to prosecute in Germany persons suspected of war crimes, they would have to be in this country, or that they have attempted the life of a German national.

In the same interview, Peter Frank affirms that the German justice system has not yet collected any element enabling Russia to be attributed the sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines. investigations are ongoing,” he explains.

With the help of two research vessels, water and soil samples as well as the remains of the pipelines were taken.

“We are currently evaluating all of this forensically.

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At the end of September, a total of four leaks in the two pipelines were discovered after explosions near the Danish Baltic Sea island of Bornholm.

Swedish security authorities determined in November that it was serious sabotage - but without naming a culprit.

The sites of the explosion are in the international waters of the exclusive economic zones of Denmark and Sweden.

Both countries are conducting their own investigations.

“But we are in contact”, still assures magistrate Frank.