The European Union's top diplomat on Tuesday said there is "overwhelming" evidence of war crimes in the Ukrainian city of Bucha, where Russia's army is accused of murdering hundreds of civilians.
"Impunity for war crimes is frankly impossible, so long as we put the work in," Kaja Kallas told EU lawmakers, a day after the third anniversary of Bucha's liberation.
"In Bucha, the evidence is overwhelming," she said. "From photos to phone records and decoded call signs used by commanders on Russian radio channels."
"There is no denying it -- we know exactly who the perpetrators are."
Following Russia's retreat from Bucha, after a month-long occupation that ended on March 31, 2022, AFP journalists saw the bodies of at least 20 civilians lying on a street after being shot dead, some with their hands tied behind their backs.
It was the first in a string of macabre discoveries in towns abandoned by Russian forces, which sparked an international outcry and war crimes investigations. Moscow has denied responsibility, accusing Ukraine of staging incidents.
Ukrainian authorities have opened more than 180,000 war crimes investigations, Zelensky said on Monday at a ceremony in Bucha, pinning hopes on the International Criminal Court to bring the most high-level criminals to justice.
Kallas stressed that the EU was supporting the Ukrainian prosecutor general's office and was strengthening its capacity to investigate international crimes, including through a civilian EU advisory mission.
And she said that work was advancing on establishing a special tribunal to hold Russia accountable over its invasion.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in March 2023 issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the abduction of Ukrainian children.
But the special tribunal is specifically intended to try Russia for the "crime of aggression", for which the ICC does not have jurisdiction.
Proposals for establishing the tribunal were floated more than two years ago, but wrangling over its legal basis and how it would work has meant progress has been painfully slow.
The return of US President Donald Trump to the White House appears to have sped up efforts, as European officials fear his plans for a peace deal could mean Moscow escapes justice for good.
Experts from 37 countries in February agreed on the legal foundations for the tribunal.
Kallas on Tuesday said that the Council of Europe would "soon" start work on the next steps, including the court's draft statute.
