Counter-terror police gathering evidence of potential war crimes in Ukraine have been struck by the “incredibly harrowing” material and eyewitness accounts from the front line.

The Metropolitan Police’s War Crimes Team has already received around 50 referrals from people with a link to the UK.

This includes those who have directly fled the conflict in the last two months since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Detective Chief Superintendent Dominic Murphy said: “What we’re seeing is incredibly harrowing, beyond comprehension

“In not far off 17 years in counterterrorism, (it is) some of the worst possible footage you could imagine seeing.”

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He said it would be up to the judicial authority to decide whether the material and testimonies gathered so far could be used to support a charge of genocide.

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Mr Murphy said: “Does it provide evidence of a war crime? Quite possibly.

“Does it provide evidence of other international crimes? Quite possibly.

“We’re really committed to supporting the best possible outcome here and that is getting justice for victims and the best evidence.”

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Scotland Yard announced last month that it was supporting the International Criminal Court (ICC) probe into alleged war crimes in Ukraine, and appealed for anyone with direct evidence to come forward.

Officers based at ports and borders are also asking people arriving into the UK whether they may have any evidence for the ICC investigation.

This is particularly important as more Ukrainians are granted refugee status in the UK.

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Police want to gather as much first-hand evidence as possible – which could include messages Ukrainians have sent to relatives in the UK and video footage filmed on camera phones by those in conflict zones.

It does not include anything sourced from social media or seen as part of news reports.

Evidence can be reported here.

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