Russian missile strikes in Ukraine investigated as possible war crimes – prosecutor

FILE PHOTO: A building destroyed by a Russian military strike is seen amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in the town of Borodianka, in Kyiv region, Ukraine August 26, 2022. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich

AMSTERDAM — Prosecutors for International Mobile Justice teams are investigating as possible war crimes the ongoing Russian missile strikes in Kyiv and cities across Ukraine that have so far killed at least 26 people, an official told Reuters on Wednesday.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had said Russia timed its strikes on Ukraine on Monday to inflict the greatest possible losses among people and had also targeted the country’s energy infrastructure.

“They want panic and chaos, they want to destroy our energy system,” Zelenskiy said in a video post that showed him outside his presidential office.

“The second target is people. Such a time and such targets were specially chosen to cause as much damage as possible.”

General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, wrote on Twitter also on Monday that their forces shot down at least 41 missiles that were fired at Ukraine by Russia.

READ: Ukraine says it has shot down at least 41 Russian missiles

“This morning, 75 missiles were launched. 41 of them were neutralized by our air defense,” he said.