Were war crimes committed in Ukraine? How Canada is assisting with the probe

Canada is co-operating with partners abroad, including the International Criminal Court, to ensure perpetrators of heinous acts - from rape to mass killings - are held accountable.

RCMP Cpl. Kate Walaszczyk honed her policing skills as a homicide investigator, painstakingly reconstructing crime scenes and gathering evidence.

She is turning that hard-earned know-how to the global stage, working with other countries to document war crimes and crimes against humanity in the unfolding conflict in Ukraine.

Canada is co-operating with partners abroad, including the International Criminal Court, to ensure perpetrators of heinous acts – from rape to mass killings – are held accountable.

The focus of the RCMP investigation, launched over a year ago, is collection and preservation of evidence of possible crimes for use in prosecutions, which might take place much later.

The Mounties have asked anyone with a Canadian connection who has information about potential war crimes to contact the force through a special web portal.

The force is seeking information about acts of violence in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022, and in Crimea or the Donbas region since 2014 to assist the probe, conducted under the auspices of the federal War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity program.

The RCMP reviews and analyzes the shared information, sometimes following up with individuals to gather more details.

The investigators publicized the effort through posters and brochures aimed at people arriving in Canada in the initial waves fleeing Ukraine last year, and met others face-to-face in community meetings.