Council of Europe, Ukraine to sign accord on June 25 to set up Russian aggression tribunal
The Council of Europe and Ukraine will sign an agreement on June 25 to set up a special tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression, Yevheniya Kravchuk, a member of Ukraine’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), said on June 24.
The move marks a milestone in international efforts to hold President Vladimir Putin and other top Russian officials accountable for launching the full-scale war against Ukraine.
“What seemed like a dream of justice will soon become a reality. Ukraine, together with the Council of Europe, will sign an agreement that will bring Russia to justice,” Kravchuk wrote on Facebook.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna stressed that the special tribunal will have jurisdiction over the Russian president, prime minister, foreign minister, and other top officials.
“It is not a matter of debate anymore, only a matter of time. Some will get into the hands of justice sooner, some later, but they will all be held accountable. There are no exceptions,” Stefanishyna told the Kyiv Independent. “It’s critical to restore the international rule of law and prevent future acts of aggression."
The tribunal’s jurisdiction covers all aspects of the crime of aggression, including the planning, preparation, initiation, or execution of acts of aggression, according to Stefanishyna.
“The tribunal’s design makes it clear that the official status of the accused at the time of the crime does not exempt them from responsibility,” she said. “Functional immunity does not apply here; high-ranking officials can be prosecuted even while holding office. The statute provides rules for conducting proceedings if the accused is absent."
The tribunal will be authorized to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) to ensure jurisdictional effectiveness and share information, Stefanishyna added.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has long advocated for the tribunal to ensure that Putin and other senior Russian officials face justice for launching the invasion three years ago.
Ukrainian prosecutors have documented thousands of war crimes committed by Russian forces, including attacks on civilians, cultural and medical sites, and acts of torture and deportation.
While war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide can be prosecuted against individuals at any level, the crime of aggression applies exclusively to state leaders responsible for planning and waging a war.
The ICC has already issued arrest warrants for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian official overseeing the forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir