A former UN chief prosecutor called Putin a 'war criminal' and called for an international arrest warrant for the Russian president

• Carla Del Ponte, a former UN chief prosecutor, called Putin a "war criminal."
• Del Ponte called for an international arrest warrant against Putin.

A former United Nations chief prosecutor called for an international arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin, several Swiss outlets reported.

"Putin is a war criminal," Carla Del Ponte, who formerly prosecuted war crimes in tribunals in the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, told the Swiss newspaper Le Temps.

Del Ponte told the Swiss outlet Blick that she was surprised by the invasion and ongoing war, stating she "never thought Russia would go that far."

"You saw from day one that war crimes were being committed," she told Blick.

She added she was especially taken aback by the use of mass graves, which reminded her of the former Yugoslavia tribunals. Insider previously reported that mass graves have been discovered in several Ukrainian cities including Mariupol and Bucha.

"I had hoped never to see a mass grave again," Del Ponte told Blick. "One must not forget the humanitarian aspect either: these dead people have relatives who do not know what has become of them. This is unacceptable, so such mass graves must be reopened. You have to exhume and identify all the bodies, it's a huge job."

Del Ponte noted that Russia has also committed the war crimes that include "attacks on civilians and destruction of private buildings."

"These are all war crimes because they clearly weren't targeting military targets," she said.

The International Criminal Court opened an investigation into alleged war crimes in Ukraine on February 28. Del Ponte said if the investigation finds evidence of crimes, the court should probe the command chain until it identifies whoever gave the orders.

Del Ponte told Blick she hopes an indictment and arrest warrants are issued quickly. She added that she is "convinced" Putin will be held to account, noting that former Yugoslavian president Slobodan Milošević was indicted in the 1999 tribunal.

"Who would have thought then that he would ever end up in court? No one!" she said.