Nations discuss coordinating Ukraine war crimes probes

Government officials from dozens of nations are meeting Thursday in the Netherlands to discuss with the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor how best to coordinate efforts to bring perpetrators of war crimes in Ukraine to justice.

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, his military forces have been accused of abuses ranging from killings in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha to deadly attacks on civilian facilities, including the March 16 bombing of a theater in Mariupol that an Associated Press investigation established likely killed close to 600 people.

The AP and FRONTLINE, which are tracking incidents in Ukraine, have so far tallied 338 potential war crimes.

In a statement Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Moscow to halt forced deportations in areas of Ukraine controlled by Russia, saying an estimated 900,000 to 1.6 million Ukrainians have been "interrogated, detained, and forcibly deported" to Russia.

"Moscow's actions appear premeditated and draw immediate historical comparisons to Russian 'filtration' operations in Chechnya and other areas," Blinken said. "President Putin's 'filtration' operations are separating families," confiscating Ukrainian passports and issuing Russian passports in an apparent effort to change the demographic makeup of parts of Ukraine."

Blinken said Putin and his government "will not be able to engage in these systematic abuses with impunity. Accountability is imperative. This is why we are supporting Ukrainian and international authorities' efforts to collect, document, and preserve evidence of atrocities. Together, we are dedicated to holding perpetrators of war crimes and other atrocities accountable."

Some 40 nations...