Germany identifies two Russian occupiers suspected in shelling of Gostomel
German Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann said that as part of the investigation into Russian war crimes in Ukraine, his country has identified two Russians who are suspected of shelling residents of Gostomel in 2022, Spiegel reports.
According to Bushman, the people suspected of the attacks and the officers responsible have allegedly been identified.
"If we catch the perpetrator, we will press charges. And if Ukraine or another country with which we cooperate gets hold of these people, then we will make the evidence available in such a way that charges can be successfully brought there," he said.
Prior to the opening of this particular investigation, the Federal Prosecutor's Office had already launched a "structural investigation into alleged war crimes during Russia's aggression against Ukraine in March 2022."
The aim of this investigation is to initially gather evidence without specific accused, for example by interviewing witnesses seeking asylum in Germany.
The German minister noted that the country's authorities have issued appeals in Ukrainian, Russian and English to persuade people to share their experiences with the police, but did not specify where and what kind of appeals they are talking about.
Bushman noted that for people who have been victims or witnesses of traumatic events, it is often "difficult to face their experiences again" and talk about them.
According to information provided by the Federal Prosecutor's Office in September, civilians, including a man with German citizenship, were shot at and wounded by Russian forces in Gostomel, the journalists wrote.
On March 14, 2022, the Russian occupiers fired mortars at a convoy of civilians during the evacuation from Gostomel. At least two people were injured and one person died.
In April 2022, the Strategic Communications Department of the Armed Forces of Ukraine published the first part of the rescue of Russian army personnel "directly involved in the killings" of civilians in Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel in Kyiv region.
In August 2022, it was reported that employees of the Russian publication Vazhnye Istori identified several Russian occupiers who fought against Ukraine, in particular during the invaders' failed invasion of the north of the country in an attempt to take Kyiv. They contacted some of them, met with them and talked about the fighting, atrocities and looting.
Read also: For the first time, US officially accuses four Russians of war crimes in Ukraine
