Ukraine on Tuesday accepted the International Criminal Court's jurisdiction to probe war crimes in its war-torn east, where thousands have died in fighting since February 2014.

"Ukraine accepts the jurisdiction of the court for the purpose of identifying, prosecuting and judging perpetrators and accomplices of acts committed on the territory of Ukraine since February 20 2014," said a letter, signed by Ukranian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and accepted by the Hague-based court.

Although Ukraine is not a party to the court, it can accept the ICC's jurisdiction on a case-by-case basis for crimes committed within a particular time frame.