Former German ministers file war crimes complaint on Russia
Associated PressBERLIN — Two former German ministers said Thursday they have submitted a criminal complaint with federal prosecutors seeking the opening of a war crimes probe against Russian officials, including President Vladimir Putin, over Russia’s actions in the war in Ukraine. Former Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger and former Interior Minister Gerhart Baum said they want to use German laws allowing prosecution of serious crimes committed abroad to bring to justice those they consider responsible for atrocities in Ukraine. Lawyer Nikolaos Gazeas, who compiled the 140-page criminal complaint on their behalf, said it targets not just Putin’s Russian leadership and the 32 members of his security council, but also “a whole series of members of the Russian military.” The crimes detailed in the complaint range from the attack on a nuclear power plant in Ukraine to the bombing of a maternity hospital in Mariupol, he said. While prosecutors at the International Criminal Court have also launched an investigation into possible war crimes in Ukraine, Gazeas said parallel probes in multiple jurisdictions made sense and could be mutually reinforcing.