UKRAINE is struggling under the weight of 260,000 war crime cases inflicted on its land and people in the four years since Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Vladimir Putin’s soldiers and commanders are accused of raping Ukrainian girls as young as four-years-old, slaughtering families in their homes, striking evacuation routes and committing crimes against humanity.
A handful of prosecutors, investigators and police are working tirelessly to bring the perpetrators of these atrocities to justice – and their sights are set on the very highest ranks of the Kremlin.
Each day the toll of Russia’s terror ticks up, with 6,000 to 9,000 fresh cases registered by the national police force every month.
Oleksandr Ziuz, the head of the Prosecutor General’s Department for Combating Crimes Committed in Conditions of Armed Conflict, told The Sun that a single prosecutor handles 5,000 proceedings in some regions.
Zuiz expects the toll of war crimes to reach 290,000 by the end of this year.
“But we do not have an increase in capacity or staff,” he said.
War crimes include extrajudicial killings, deportation of minors, torture, sexual violence, enforced disappearances and bombings and attacks on civilian infrastructure.
Last month, the UN condemned the widespread and “abhorrent” sexual violence inflicted against Ukrainian civilians and prisoners of war (POW).
A 20-page report detailed testimony from hundreds of victims. The youngest rape survivor was a four-year-old girl and the oldest an 82-year-old woman.
Veronika Plotnikova, Head of Victim and Witness Support, told The Sun: “The war will continue for some time, but after it ends there will still be victims and their trauma and the court proceedings continue.”
Her centre alone currently works with 2,500 victims with active criminal proceedings – 1,300 of whom are children.
Of these, 138 have suffered sexual violence, 300 are soldiers who have been released from captivity, 140 are former civilian detainees and 704 are victims of explosions.
The centre is also supporting 487 witnesses – more than 300 of whom are also children.
“Behind every figure is a person, their story and pain, their experience, losses and needs,” Veronika said.
One of the most challenging problems hampering investigations is Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine, Zuiz said.
Access to evidence on the frontlines or in occupied territories is limited – and those tasked with collecting it often do so under live fire and the constant threat of missile strikes.
Prosecutor’s service vehicles have been attacked and police and security service personnel have been killed or injured by Russia’s relentless bombardment.
But even when evidence has been secured it remains at risk.
Just two weeks ago a Russian drone swarm targeted Kyiv, striking a building that stored crucial documents for Zuiz’s team.
He said: “Now we don’t have access to critical information. We have a lot of evidence but to preserve it is a challenge.”
Despite the mammoth task ahead of him, Zuiz is determined to “bring justice to all responsible”.
Cases can take any time from months to years to reach court or a verdict – but the vast majority are swept through court without a defendant.
Zuiz said: “Out of all suspects only 34 are prisoners of war and can take the stand. We have 1,267 suspects charged in absentia.
“This is why it is so important for us to preserve as much evidence as possible. To build a case without them here in Ukraine.”
Investigators trawl through recordings, radio dispatches, Ukrainian intelligence and eyewitness testimony to piece together a trail from each crime to a list of suspects.
But many Russian soldiers use an alias – and without a name prosecutors struggle to reach proof beyond a level of reasonable doubt.
By the end of September 2025, when the estimated number of cases was 185,000, only 446 had reached the courts.
Of these just 156 resulted in a sentence — less than one in 1,000 — according to a study conducted by the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union (UHHRU).
Executive Director Oleksandr Pavlichenko told The Sun: “Around 80 per cent of cases have been tried in absentia.
“No more than 40 people have passed through the courts. And almost 30 of those will return to Russia in exchange for PoWs.
“It is a drop in the ocean compared with what we are dealing with. And a long wait for justice without a jail sentence.”
The UHHRU’s report highlights the system’s inability to manage such a large number of crimes.
Oleksandr said: “Some cases take years to build – but pre-trial detention is capped at one year. We are trying to get this extended to two but we still don’t know.
“This is the contradiction because normally legislation would be changed. But the system has been overloaded. We are working with the legislation of peacetime – but we are in wartime.”
Faced with limited possibilities, prosecutors have changed tactics.
Zuiz said: “We are now trying to combine evidence and group these crimes against leaders – higher level perpetrators.
“We are following the chain of command to establish responsibility, not just pushed the button.”
In doing so, Zuiz believes justice can reach even the highest level of the Russian Federation – including Putin.
Zuiz said: “We are looking to create a special tribunal to try 30 or 40 of those at the highest commanding level both on the military and political side.
“It is not hard to prove the atrocities they have caused. And if we do not bring them to justice now they will continue in the future.”
The International Criminal Court has issued warrants for four high-ranking Russian commanders and officials over crimes against humanity.
These include Lieutenant General Sergei Kobylash and Admiral Viktor Sokolov, Former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov.
In 2023, the ICC issued a warrant for Putin over the deportation and transfer of children – designated a crime against humanity by the UN earlier this year.
Ukrainian authorities claim that Russia has illegally deported or forcibly displaced more than 19,500 children to Russia and Belarus, in violation of the Geneva Conventions.
After tracking 1,205 cases of children from five Ukrainian regions, the UN found that 80 per cent of them have not yet returned to Ukraine.
In another landmark case, Ukrainian prosecutors have accused Russia of committing crimes against humanity using drones to kill civilians.
A UN inquiry found last year that Putin‘s killer drones systematically targeted civilians in Kherson, a frontline region of southern Ukraine.
At least 287 civilians have been killed in Kherson, a frontline region of southern Ukraine, over the past two years.
Many of the attacks were filmed by the drones and uploaded on social media – leading to the name of “human safari” attacks.
Some sick Russian civilians are even facing shocking claims they pay soldiers to carry out the drone attacks and catch it all on camera.
One of the most complex cases Zuiz has worked on as a prosecutor was the Russian destruction of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant dam on June 6, 2023.
It is considered to be one of Europe’s worst ecological disasters since Chernobyl – but remains occupied by Russian forces, blocking off vital evidence to ensure an air-tight case.
The breach unleashed roughly four cubic miles of water downstream, inundating homes and displacing tens of thousands of people across Kherson Oblast.
Recent environmental studies have warned that toxins will continue leaching into the Dnipro River and the north-western Black Sea for years, threatening regional water supplies.
Zuiz said: “The disaster has affected all of Ukraine because it has contaminated our water.
“A lot of evidence needs to be collected – we will have to combine all investigators and prosecutors at all levels for this case.”
Veronika’s department was established within the Prosecutor General’s Office in 2023 – just one year after Russia’s full- scale invasion.
Victims’ needs vary dramatically case to case, from psychological support to evacuation, security, social assistance or access to legal services.
A major challenge is victims’ unwillingness to testify in court out of fear of revenge from the Russian military against themselves or loved ones held captive in occupied territories.
Many others are reluctant to face prolonged and difficult trials.
Veronika said: “Due to the significant number of victims there are difficulties in ensuring access to quality professional legal assistance.
“Material and every day needs including destroyed housing are the main immediate requests of victims. Addressing this is an urgent task which unfortunately the state cannot fully manage.”
Veronika’s office is currently building a network of victim support programmes across Ukraine with regional prosecutors offices.
There are currently 12 units in operation from bases including Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Kherson.
Together they are working to implement a digital referral platform for victims to access support services and contact key services directly.
Veronika said: “It is important for us to reach as many victims as possible.
“We understand the scale of the challenge facing law enforcement and the justice system. That is why our work is aimed at not only assisting individual victims but also building a system capable of effectively addressing such a scale.”
Veronika often asks victims what justice means to them.
“Their answers go far beyond holding perpetrators to account”, she said.
“It means having the opportunity to be heard and the ability to rebuild their lives after what they have experienced.”