Deputy Prosecutor General Andriy Leshchenko held a meeting with a delegation from the Ministry of Justice of the French Republic led by Sébastien Sidor, a judge and head of the Department for European and International Cooperation, the press service of the Office of the Prosecutor General reports.
‘About 90% of the evidence handled by the Joint Investigation Team and the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression at Eurojust has been collected directly in Ukraine. For its effective use at the international level, the involvement of foreign experts is critically important,’ Leshchenko noted, emphasizing the key role of international specialists in documenting war crimes.
Special attention was given to the pilot project of the Prosecutor General’s Office on assessing environmental damage caused by Russian aggression. The parties discussed the need for the participation of French specialists in recording such crimes, as well as the importance of joint work on analysing the components of weapons used by Russia to strike Ukraine — drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, and Shahed attack UAVs. Identifying manufacturers of components, countries of origin, and supply logistics routes will make it possible to document violations of the sanctions regime.
Representatives of the French delegation informed about the support already provided, including the participation of lawyers in investigating the crime of deporting Ukrainian children, and confirmed their readiness for further steps.
The French side also announced its intention to contribute to the development of legislative amendments and to organize a training visit for Ukrainian prosecutors to the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT), the police, and the Ministry of the Interior of France to exchange experience in investigating crimes against humanity.
After the visit, specific formats of further cooperation will be determined.
