Mr Raab, a former lawyer who prosecuted war criminals, said he was in discussions with Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, on the UK’s precise role but added: “It is important to lay down a marker now and puncture the perception of impunity.

“What we really want to do is get this message to Putin but also any commander in the field who may be thinking about what he is going to do with an illegal order that may cause him to commit war crimes.

“They need to know there is a very real chance that they will face the dock of a court in The Hague and a jail cell. That’s why we will support the International Criminal Court, technically but also in terms of any other ways.”

Asked whether that could involve intercepts to identify the military commanders ordering missile strikes on civilians, Mr Raab said: “We would not discuss sensitive intelligence sharing but what I can tell you is that, from Nuremberg through to the Yugoslav tribunal and International Criminal Court, we have always had cooperation and information which has done two things.

“One is to locate fugitives. The second is that it helped provide lead information which can help the prosecutor’s office gather evidence which will secure convictions. We have expertise in that area and provided lead information in the past that has proved absolutely critical. Few countries around the world have that sort of capability.”

Mr Raab said Britain would not only work with partners but “the UK would be willing to step up and perform its role and the Ministry of Justice certainly would”.

He said the UK could help with witness location and protection while its prisons could house suspected war criminals. He cited Radovan Karadic, the Bosnian Serb leader jailed in the UK under a sentence agreement negotiated with the Yugoslav tribunal in 2004.