UK sends experts to help Ukrainian government gather evidence and prosecute war crimes

• The British government is sending a team of experts on war crimes to Ukraine.
• The specialists will assist the Ukrainian government gather evidence and prosecute war crimes.

The UK is sending a team of experts to help the Ukrainian government gather evidence and prosecute war crimes.

The team will include individuals with a background in conflict-related sexual violence, following reports of rape and other forms of sexual abuse carried out by Russian forces.

Ukraine says it has documented 400 allegations of sexual violence by Russian soldiers within two weeks, and several United Nations ambassadors have urged the International Criminal Court to investigate the allegations of rape.

The British experts will travel to Poland in early May to further determine the assistance they can provide, through meetings with the Ukrainian government and others, as the British government pledged that "justice will be done".

In a statement, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: "Russia has brought barbarity to Ukraine and committed vile atrocities, including against women. British expertise will help uncover the truth and hold Putin's regime to account for its actions. Justice will be done."

Truss is travelling to The Hague to meet with the ICC Court President for talks, as well as with her Dutch counterpart, Wopke Hoekstra, for talks on working together with the Netherlands on holding Russia to account.

In late March, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told MPs that the UK had a PSVI (preventing sexual violence in conflict) team "working to support survivors and hold perpetrators to account" near Ukraine.