During his visit to Ukraine, US Attorney General Merrick Garland emphasized his country’s support for detecting, arresting and prosecuting those involved in the war crimes and atrocities committed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
According to a written statement issued by the Ministry of Justice regarding the visit, Garland met with Prosecutor General Irina Venicetova near the Ukrainian city of Lviv and announced the formation of a team focused on the accountability of war crimes.
“The United States is sending a clear message. There is no place to hide. We and our partners will do whatever it takes to hold those responsible for this atrocity accountable,” Garland told reporters.
The ministry said the newly created team will assist Ukraine in filing lawsuits, collecting evidence and prosecuting human rights violations, war crimes and other cruel acts, with the team’s chief adviser being a Justice Department official who once led efforts to track down Nazi war criminals. gave the information.
“America and the world have witnessed many horrific scenes and read heartbreaking eyewitness accounts of the atrocities and deaths that resulted from Russia’s unjust invasion of Ukraine,” Secretary Garland said.
The department said the team will also focus on potential war crimes over which the United States has jurisdiction, including killing and injuring American journalists.
Garland’s pledge to help Ukraine track down war criminals is just one of several steps the US Justice Department has taken this year in response to Russia’s attack on Ukraine.
The ministry also mobilized a task force known as “KleptoCapture” focused on confiscating yachts and other luxury properties from Russian oligarchs in an attempt to put pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The US seized a superyacht last week, which was seized in Fiji a month ago and believed to belong to the sanctioned Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov.