France has deployed a team of forensic experts and gendarmes to Ukraine to help investigate alleged war crimes committed by Russian forces near Kyiv, following the discovery of mass civilian killings that shocked the world.
The French interior and justice ministries said the mission aims to “prevent the impunity of acts constituting war crimes” and will provide concrete support to Ukrainian and international jurisdictions, including the International Criminal Court (ICC).
French Team Arrives in Lviv
France’s ambassador to Ukraine, Etienne de Poncins, shared a photo of the uniformed officers beside a mobile laboratory in the western city of Lviv.
“Proud to welcome to Lviv the detachment of technical and scientific gendarmes who came to assist their comrades in investigations of war crimes committed near Kyiv. France is the first to provide such help. They will start work tomorrow,” the envoy wrote on Twitter.
The team includes two forensic doctors and about 15 gendarmes from the National Gendarmerie Criminal Research Institute (IRCGN), equipped with a mobile DNA laboratory for rapid genetic analysis, fingerprinting, and victim identification.
Mass Graves and Evidence Collection
Ukrainian authorities say they have discovered 1,222 bodies in areas near Kyiv, including Bucha and Irpin, after Russian troops retreated.
Ukraine’s Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova said more than 5,600 alleged war crimes involving 500 Russian suspects are under investigation.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced the creation of a special mechanism involving national and international experts to investigate Russian “crimes.”
France and International Coordination
According to French ministries, Paris also aims to coordinate the contributions of EU member states to strengthen war crimes investigations in Ukraine.
French President Emmanuel Macron has said there are “clear indications” of Russian war crimes near Kyiv.
Moscow has denied responsibility, with President Vladimir Putin accusing Ukraine of staging the civilian deaths.
