Special Tribunal Against Putin Ready for Launch, Zelensky’s Office Says

In 2025, the legal basis for a special tribunal on the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine may be established. The work is expected to begin next year, said Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Iryna Mudra.

The Gaze reports on this with reference to Ukrinform.

When asked about the timing of the start of the special tribunal's work, Mudra did not rule out that the process could be lengthy. However, today the parties already have a clear understanding of the process of establishing the tribunal in The Hague.

‘The special tribunal may start working as early as next year. This year, we are finalising the legal framework and starting to form the special tribunal: recruiting judges, the secretariat, implementing rules and regulations, procedures. But the main thing is that justice for those who commit the crime of aggression against Ukraine is inevitable,’ Mudra said.

She noted that legal work will continue in 2025.

‘In particular, there is already a draft statute that fully regulates the organisational, functional, and legal rules of the special tribunal. The special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine is being set up in just two years. This is quite fast, given the very complex and sensitive issues on which we had to find a compromise,’ Mudra said.

She also provided details about the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Coalition of States to politically approve the establishment of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine on 9 May.

‘All the work that has been done so far by the legal advisers of 40 states, which has resulted in a package of documents, will receive political support. This will be an expression of political support for the further transfer of all the developments to the Council of Europe for actual implementation. In other words, the Council of Europe will take the necessary steps to establish a special tribunal,’ Mudra said.

Read more: Justice for Ukraine: Can Russia Be Held Accountable for the Crime of Aggression?