The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) says the taskforce will collect evidence from refugees arriving in Switzerland to pass on to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
United States President Joe Biden has labelled Russian President Vladimir Putin a war criminal, while several international bodies say there is growing evidence of war crimes being carried out by Russian forces.
The OAG unit is also ready to detect and prosecute war crimes committed by Swiss citizens and to help the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs deal with sanctions violations.
The OAG said on Tuesday that it is “ready to act swiftly and efficiently whenever it is necessary”.
Attorney General Stefan Blättler will take charge of the taskforce that is made up of various department heads and specialist prosecutors.
Part of the mandate is to “ensure that the ongoing flow of information with national and international partners is strengthened”.
The OAG is yet to open any criminal investigations in relation to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Requests for legal assistance between Switzerland and Russia have been put on ice until the justice ministry provides new guidance. Switzerland has also suspended sending requests for legal assistance to Ukraine.
Dubious record
Switzerland’s previous Attorney General, Michael Lauber, was widely criticised, along with other members of his department, for being too soft on Russia.
Over half a million people attended Eurovision shows or events in Basel
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Over 500,000 people attended Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) shows or related events in Basel last week, the organisers said on Monday, celebrating its "great success".
Appenzell village is named ‘lightning capital’ of Switzerland
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Gonten in canton Appenzell Inner Rhodes recorded the highest number of lightning strikes per square kilometre in Switzerland last year.
Swiss centre records almost 300 victims of human trafficking
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Last year, 208 victims contacted the specialist unit FIZ Advocacy and Support for Migrant Women and Victims of Trafficking. For 59 others, an examination is still underway.
Swiss mountain village threatened by serious landslide risk
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The situation in the mountain village of Blatten, canton Valais, remains serious due to the threat of a landslide, Swiss officials said on Sunday afternoon.
Swiss mountain municipality partly evacuated due to landslide threat
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Part of the municipality of Blatten in canton Valais had to be evacuated on Saturday evening for safety reasons after a landslide.
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Two people died after an avalanche on the Eiger in canton Bern on Saturday, police said. Five others were airlifted to hospital.
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The Austrian countertenor won the 69th Eurovision in Basel on Saturday, edging out Israel. Switzerland’s Zoë Më came tenth.
Switzerland drops Russia graft probe triggered by Magnitsky case
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Swiss prosecutors have dropped a probe into alleged Russian graft in a case that has been linked to the death of Sergei Magnitsky.
Swiss federal official guilty of accepting benefits on bear hunt
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Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court has found a former Russia specialist guilty of accepting benefits during a bear hunting trip to Russia.
Switzerland will adopt fourth EU sanctions package against Russia
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The Swiss government has announced it will implement the European Union’s latest round of sanctions that includes a ban on the export of luxury goods to Russia.
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