Ukraine Collects Evidence Of Deaths Of Hundreds Of Citizens Due To Mines For International Criminal Courts

International Criminal Court (ICC)/PHOTO via Wikimedia Commons/Choinowski

JAKARTA - Ukraine documented the deaths of nearly 300 civilians from mines abandoned by Russia and is gathering evidence for the International Criminal Court (ICCO).

Ukraine Security Service (SBU) said more than 1,000 Ukrainians were injured and 297 people were killed, mostly in eastern regions of Donetsk and Kharkiv, due to various types of mines.

"To disguise weapons, the invaders used various common goods including children's toys and candy boxes," he said.

In addition, Russian sabotage groups often set up mine fields to cover their setbacks from the front lines and border areas, he added.

Russia denies targeting civilians during its invasion, which also includes airstrikes against critical infrastructure in population centers far behind the front lines.

SBU said it was preparing a "large-scale evidence base" and would send it to The Hague if it was enough.

Prosecutors in Kharkiv said they launched an investigation into war crimes after six people were injured in a mine explosion.