Vladimir Putin and his generals could be hit with war crimes charges after international prosecutors launched an investigation into Russian atrocities in Ukraine.

The UK led calls for the probe which has been backed by 39 allies including the EU, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, and Latin American countries.

Karim Khan QC, a British lawyer who is chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, announced: “The collection of evidence has now commenced.”

The investigation will cover from the start of the Crimea crisis in November 2013 and encompass “any past and present allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide”.

Earlier this week, Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, said the Russian president was using “barbaric” tactics in the invasion of Ukraine.

“I think that everybody involved in the Russian onslaught should understand that all this will be collated in evidence to be used at a future time in what could be proceedings before the International Criminal Court,” he said on Tuesday.

Dominic Raab, the Deputy Prime Minister and a former Foreign Office lawyer, told Sky News: “Those that engage in war crimes will be held to account.”

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has also said there’s evidence of Russia using high-powered thermobaric weapons in Ukraine.

Kremlin troops have also been accused of firing cluster bombs into residential areas, hitting a pre-school and hospital.

Prosecutors will be able to rely on evidence including satellite images and social media posts.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Putin’s forces are “targeting civilians indiscriminately and tearing through towns across Ukraine”.

She added: “It is right those responsible are held to account. The UK will work closely with allies to ensure justice is done.”

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service says more than 2,000 civilians have been killed.

Security minister Damian Hinds said “there’s every indication Vladimir Putin is absolutely guilty” of war crimes.

He added: “It’s really important not only he but also the generals, the officers in his army, know evidence is being gathered and people can be held to account.”

The EU has sanctioned four military commanders it says are directly involved in the invasion.

They are Vice-Admiral Sergei Pinchuk, first deputy commander in chief of the Black Sea Fleet, and Lieutenant-Generals Alexey Avdeev, Rustam Muradov, and Andrey Sychevoy of the Southern Military District.

Marieke de Hoon, an international criminal law expert at Amsterdam University, said the ICC could “circumvent Putin’s head of state immunity”.

The Hague-based court has no police force of its own so would have to rely on Russia handing over suspects. Moscow withdrew from its jurisdiction in 2016.

Ukraine could also refer commanders captured in battle.