PRESS RELEASE : Attorney General marks two-year anniversary of Ukraine conflict [February 2024]
The press release issued by the Attorney General’s Office on 27 February 2024.
Victoria Prentis KC MP has reflected on her involvement in supporting Ukraine as it pursues justice for the victims of Russian atrocities and on her ongoing personal connection to the country.
She said:
This week marks a horrific chapter in Ukraine’s history as the country faces the two-year anniversary of Russia’s unlawful invasion.
Ukraine holds a special place in my heart. My daughter worked in Kyiv a few years ago and I remember when I visited her at the end of 2021. Rarely has a place looked more beautiful than Kyiv, with its cathedral lit up by the bright November sun.
I knew that things would be different when I returned last year, but seeing the sandbags around Mykhailivs’ka square was heart-breaking.
Even though Kyiv looked different, its people were the same. Weathered by war, but vibrant. Battered by conflict, but even more resilient.
That is why, alongside international partners, we are determined to support Ukraine for as long as it takes.
The Government appointed Sir Howard Morrison – a former Judge at the International Criminal Court. – as independent advisor to Andriy Kostin – the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. This package of support has included training more than 100 judges to hold domestic war crimes trials.
In December 2022, the Attorney joined G7 justice ministers in signing the Berlin Declaration, coordinating international investigations and prosecutions and pledging solidarity with Ukraine.
Last March, on a visit to Ukraine, she witnessed the impact of the conflict first hand in Kyiv, Bucha and Borodiankia. In Lviv, the Attorney represented the UK at the United for Justice Conference.
This experience was reflected in her submission to the International Court of Justice where, alongside 32 other intervening states, the Attorney intervened in the case brought by Ukraine against Russia under the Genocide Convention.
The Attorney added:
Most significantly for my family – we welcomed a Ukrainian woman into our home at the start of the war. Vika is an integral part of our family. We recently celebrated her birthday. I know she will be part of our lives for ever.
Putin has tried to convince us all that Ukraine is part of a Russian world. That there is no Ukrainian culture. That there is no Ukraine.
But Ukraine’s soldiers and its people continue to defy the odds. They display the utmost bravery. Here in the UK, we know that Ukraine is fighting not just for its own security, but our security too.
