The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said Wednesday he will immediately launch an investigation into allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide committed in Ukraine.
Why it matters: Ukraine has accused Russian forces of indiscriminately shelling civilian areas and exploiting the definition of “genocide” as a pretense to invade.
The launch of the inquiry could pave the way for participants in the conflict to potentially be tried at The Hague.
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan was able to expedite the launch of the inquiry following referrals from 39 countries.
