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The Attorney General has pledged to put behind bars Russian soldiers convicted of war crimes in Ukraine.
Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Suella Braverman stressed the urgency of gathering evidence of Russia’s war crimes now.
She added that she had just signed a joint statement with the Attorney General of Ukraine, Iryna Venediktova, to reaffirm the British government’s support for holding “Russia accountable for the crimes it commits on Ukrainian soil”.
Ms Braverman said: “Russia’s crimes could be tried in the courtrooms of Kyiv, The Hague or even the UK; but whatever the forum, it is essential to gather the evidence now… The evidence is there, the world can see it piling up. Our job now is to collect it, keep it and use it when the time 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 with Ukraine on its journey to justice.
“We will always defend the right of the Ukrainian people to choose their own future. They chose freedom and justice. And Russian war criminals chose to be behind bars.
Ms Braverman went on to say that the Metropolitan Police had appealed for evidence to 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 with Ukraine on its journey to justice.
“We will always defend the right of the Ukrainian people to choose their own future. They chose freedom and justice. And Russian war criminals chose to be behind bars.
It comes as the Deputy Prime Minister prepares to travel to The Hague on Monday to help the international effort to gather evidence of war crimes.
Justice Secretary Dominic Raab, a former barrister who prosecuted war crimes, previously said the UK had acquired intelligence during previous investigations which would prove ‘absolutely critical’ for the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The ICC has already opened an investigation that could target senior officials suspected of being responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
