The International Criminal Court (ICC) opens an office in Kiev. The HQ, the second largest after the one in The Hague, will facilitate investigations into war crimes in Ukraine. It is a courageous decision due to the risks of Russia’s retaliation

The International Criminal Court (ICC) opens an office in Ukraine. It will be located in Kiev and will be the second largest outside of The Hague. This was announced by the Ukrainian Prosecutor General, Andrii Kostin, and the news was confirmed by diplomatic sources. The stable and articulated presence “in the field” will allow it to speed up and refine investigations into war crimes in the conflict with Russia. By the way, the European country has promised that it will guarantee maximum transparency in the documentation provided and in supporting investigators’ access to crime scenes, as well as full cooperation with the international body. Moscow, however, has not yet commented on the news, but it is known that relations with the High Court are conflictual. It is no coincidence that it included a prosecutor and some judges on the wanted list, after an international arrest warrant had been issued against Vladimir Putin. The ICC decision, therefore, is courageous. In fact, it cannot be ruled out that Russia may not attempt to attack the new headquarters as a further gesture of retaliation.