The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to investigate war crimes of the Russian Federation in Ukraine has been expanded by involving the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as a member, according to the website of the Prosecutor General's Office on Monday.

"For the first time in history, the ICC Prosecutor's Office joined the JIT. Exactly a month ago, together with colleagues from Lithuania and Poland, with the support of Eurojust, we created the JIT to investigate the atrocities of the Russian Federation on the territory of our state. I am convinced that the addition of another participant will make the investigation and prosecution of war crimes and crimes against humanity more efficient and coordinated. Justice for the victims and punishment for the perpetrators is a challenge to the entire global legal front, and our joint investigation team has become at the forefront of it," Prosecutor General of Ukraine Iryna Venediktova said.

As noted in the message, each of the JIT member states is conducting its own national investigation into Russian aggression in Ukraine. A full-fledged independent investigation was launched by the ICC Prosecutor's Office. The parties and members of the JIT will coordinate their actions, plan investigative strategies together, and exchange information and evidence quickly and securely.

As reported, on March 25, Venediktova, Lithuanian Prosecutor General Nida Grunskiene and Prosecutor General and Minister of Justice of Poland Zbigniew Ziobro signed an agreement on the creation of the JIT to investigate aggression of the Russian Federation and its war crimes on the territory of Ukraine. The current member of the group is Eurojust, where 27 EU member states and ten other states are represented.