EU judicial agency backs team probing war crimes in Ukraine

European Union judicial coordination agency Eurojust says it has helped Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine to establish a joint investigation team to probe war crimes, crimes against humanity and other crimes committed in Ukraine. The Hague-based agency said  that the three nations signed an agreement on Friday establishing the team. Eurojust says it provided legal and technical support. Eurojust adds that the team will help the three nations cooperate with International Criminal Court prosecution office, which also has opened an investigation in Ukraine. Within the first month of Russia’s military operation against Ukraine, Polish  prosecutors said they had collected some 300 witness testimonies from refugees pouring over the border.

Meanwhile, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights says it has recorded 1,119 civilian deaths and 1,790 people injured since Russia's military operation of Ukraine on 24th Feb.  Most casualties were caused by use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes. It said it believes actual figures are considerably higher, given delays in obtaining information and in corroborating the reports. Of those killed, 224 were men, 168 women, 15 girls and 32 boys. The sex of another 52 children and 628 adults has not yet been determined. The report said allegations of many civilian casualties in the besieged southern city of Mariupol and in Volnovakha, Izium, Popasna, Rubizhne and Trostianets were still being corroborated and are not included in the latest totals.