Special tribunal for Russia becomes reality as Council of Europe adopts decision
Council of Europe supports creation of a special tribunal for Russia's crimes (t.me/mezentseva168)
The Council of Europe has taken an important step toward holding Russia's leadership accountable — it supported the creation of a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression, states Maria Mezentseva, head of Ukraine's permanent delegation to PACE.
The decision was adopted today, May 14, in Luxembourg during a meeting of the Committee of Ministers.
"Many thanks to our colleagues from the Presidential Office and the Cabinet, and to our PACE delegation, which has fought for this decision from the very beginning," Mezentseva added.
Special Tribunal for Russia's crimes
On May 9, foreign ministers from countries supporting the creation of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine met in Lviv.
Following the meeting, participants reached a political agreement to launch the mechanism.
The primary goal of the tribunal is to hold Russian President Vladimir Putin and other top officials accountable for initiating the war against Ukraine.
Earlier, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas assessed the possibility of trying Russian leadership in absentia and discussed when tribunal decisions could be expected.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) lacks jurisdiction over this specific crime, as Russia is not a party to the Rome Statute, and Ukraine was not a full member at the time of the invasion.
Therefore, the new tribunal aims to fill a legal gap, enabling the investigation and prosecution of individuals responsible for the crime of aggression.
This step is crucial for Ukraine — not only does it strengthen international recognition of Russia's aggression, but it also reinforces the legal and political basis for holding those responsible for the war to account.
The Kremlin has already responded to Europe's plans to establish such a tribunal.
