Key step taken in legal process for special tribunal on Russia’s aggression, says expert

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

"The special tribunal will not be launched yet, as the process of formalizing its establishment has just begun. This week, in Luxembourg, an expanded partial agreement is planned to be signed within the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, which provides for the establishment of a special tribunal for Russia's aggression against Ukraine. This marks the beginning of the legal formalization of the entire process of creating the tribunal. It can be said that this is an important cornerstone being laid in the foundation of the tribunal's establishment," commented Oleksandr Pavlichenko.

According to him, the special tribunal will be created after ratification by the states joining the expanded partial agreement. However, this process will not be immediate and will take months. Once this agreement enters into force, the mechanism for the special tribunal will be established under the auspices of the Council of Europe. The process of creating the tribunal has now moved from the political to the legal stage.

"The foundation of the special tribunal for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine will be established in Luxembourg. This tribunal will involve individual criminal responsibility, similar to the ICC, but exclusively for the crime of aggression. It is planned that the special tribunal will prosecute up to 20 high-ranking Russian officials. It will be a structure reminiscent of the Nuremberg Tribunal. It is important that this process follows established rules," concluded the Executive Director of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union.

• On Europe Day, May 9, foreign ministers and diplomats from European countries arrived in Lviv, including the head of EU diplomacy Kaja Kallas and the new German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. In total, over 40 delegations from European Union countries and other states arrived in the city. The key event was the political decision to establish a special tribunal to investigate Russia's crimes against Ukraine.