Ukraine’s Prosecutor General explains options for creating special tribunal for Russia

Andriy Kostin said this in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

The Prosecutor General noted that the establishment of a tribunal to bring to justice the top military leadership of the Russian Federation is one of the key points of the system where the aggressor is fully punished for its crimes against Ukraine.

In particular, he said that three options for creating a special tribunal are currently being considered, two of which were proposed by Ukraine: "From our point of view, the best option is to create a special tribunal for the crime of aggression on the basis of a multilateral international treaty, following the example of the Nuremberg Tribunal. This was our idea, and it remains the first option that absolutely suits Ukraine and Ukrainians."

The second option, in turn, envisages a mechanism based on an agreement with the UN with the adoption of a relevant resolution by the organization's General Assembly.

"Some of our partners also offer us a so-called hybrid model of the tribunal based on Ukrainian law with some international elements," Kostin said.

However, he said, in this case, there is a problem: according to Ukrainian law, Russia's top political leadership has personal immunity, including the president, prime minister, and foreign minister.

"That is why we continue the dialogue with our partners to choose the model that will ensure international prosecution and punishment of the highest leadership of the aggressor country," the Prosecutor General summarized.

• At the meeting, International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan mentioned the Nuremberg Tribunal's conclusion that crimes against international law are committed by specific people, not abstract entities.