Estonia Joins Governing Board of Special Tribunal on Russian Aggression Against Ukraine
Estonia has officially joined the governing board of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, an international mechanism being formed under the Council of Europe to hold Russia’s top leadership accountable for launching the full-scale war.
The Gaze reports this, referring to a post by Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna.
He announced the decision on X, stressing that all of Russia’s international crimes must face justice. Tsahkna also urged that the tribunal begin its work “as soon as possible” to ensure accountability.
“Today, the Government of Estonia passed a bill for Estonia to join the management committee of the Special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. This marks a major step forward in getting the tribunal up and running, and Estonia is ready to contribute in every way we can,” he stated.
The Special Tribunal is designed to investigate and prosecute Russia’s highest military and political figures for the crime of aggression – a violation of international law defined in Article 8 bis of the Rome Statute and aligned with UN General Assembly Resolution 3314.
It will operate as a fully international body, rather than a hybrid or national institution, and is expected to issue verdicts even in the absence of defendants, including potentially against leaders of Russia, Belarus, and North Korea.
Ukraine and the Council of Europe formally signed the agreement to establish the tribunal on June 25, 2025, in Strasbourg. The initiative, strongly supported by the European Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom, represents the first international mechanism dedicated to prosecuting the act of aggression itself – a crime not currently covered by the International Criminal Court’s jurisdiction over non-member states.
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the establishment of the Special Tribunal launches a “new, independent international legal mechanism” to bring justice for the crime of aggression.
President Zelenskyy has urged the Council of Europe to ratify the agreement without delay, allowing proceedings to begin and setting a precedent for global accountability.
Estonia’s participation adds further momentum to this process – a collective European effort to ensure that the crime of aggression does not remain abstract, but becomes a matter of concrete international justice, where those who planned and ordered the war against Ukraine are finally held to account.
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