Karim Khan, Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, announced Monday evening that an investigation into allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity will be initiated in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "I have decided to open an investigation into the situation in Ukraine as soon as possible," Khan said in a statement posted on the court's website.

On Friday, the ICC's chief prosecutor warned Russia and Ukraine that any act of genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity could fall under the jurisdiction of the court and thus be investigated by his office. War crimes include the deliberate killing of civilians or prisoners of war, and also torture, sexual violence, and pillaging.

The starting of an investigation is the next step in an ongoing investigation into hostilities in eastern Ukraine, for which a preliminary investigation was completed at the end of 2020. Khan stated that the investigation would look into the "expansion of the conflict in recent days," referring to any new evidence discovered following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began on Thursday.

Khan had previously declined to pursue the preliminary investigation, which had been completed by his predecessor Fatou Bensouda, citing "constraints on the Office's operational capacity in light of overextended resources." Khan stated that he would "call for additional budgetary support, voluntary contributions to support all of our situations, and the loan of gratis personnel." "The significance and urgency of our mission are far too serious to be held hostage by a lack of resources," he said.

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