In February 2023, less than a year into the RCMP’s investigation into possible war crimes stemming from the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Cpl. Kate Walaszczyk was trying to “manage expectations.”
It can take years before these kinds of probes result in prosecutions, she told CBC News, but the initial steps are critical. The RCMP was first focused on preserving physical and digital evidence, as well as gathering victims’ stories.
“Let’s say a conflict finishes. Individuals don’t come forward about those allegations until years later, and then evidence is lost. Memories are lost, all those things are lost,” said Walaszczyk, who was described as an investigator in the RCMP’s Ukraine war crimes unit. “We need it to be robust, so that there aren’t gaps … When you don’t gather the evidence properly, these things fall apart. And then what’s the point?”
