The European Parliament voted by an absolute majority in favor of the creation of a special tribunal for the highest military and political leadership of the Russian Federation

The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly for the creation of a special tribunal for the top military and political leadership of the aggressor country of the Russian Federation. This is an absolutely logical and expected step for all the Russians crimes and grief, along with their mythical and bloody “Russian world”. The adoption by the European Parliament of a resolution on creation of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine was an important step towards the prosecution of the Russian leadership and the prevention of such crimes in the future. The exact modalities and composition of the special tribunal remain to be determined, but it must have jurisdiction to investigate the crimes not only of the RF’s political and military leadership, headed by President Vladimir Putin, but also of Alexander Lukashenko and his cronies in Belarus, the resolution emphasizes. The document also says that the EU preparatory work on a special tribunal should begin immediately and focus on creating arrangements for the court in cooperation with Ukraine. According to MEPs, the creation of a special tribunal would send a clear signal to both Russian society and the international community that President Putin and the Russian leadership at large can be convicted for the crime of aggression in Ukraine.

There is already plenty enough of evidence of the Russian crime on the territory of Ukraine. However, Russian officials are still saying about carrying out targeted strikes on Ukrainian military facilities, but not on a civilian infrastructure. There is more and more evidence of the terrible aggression of the Russian Federation throughout Ukraine every day, namely destroyed residential buildings, hospitals, monuments, schools, cultural institutions, water stations and power supply systems. Recently, the Russians have actually been carrying out the genocide of the Ukrainians by destroying energy supply facilities, thus leaving civilians without heat, water, and means of communication during the cold season. Millions of people were forced to flee because Russia invaded Ukraine and occupied part of the territory. According to a recent report publication of the UN, due to the war, at least 4.8 million people from Ukraine has become refugees in Europe. The number of internal migrants was estimated at about 8 million people.

As you know, at the request of 40 countries, the International Criminal Court launched an investigation on Ukraine back in March 2022, since then other states and international organizations have joined this initiative. Ukraine is also conducting its own investigation in cooperation with a number of Western countries. The ICC can issue arrest warrants, including non-public ones. Such a decision is valid indefinitely and can apply to any person — including the head of state. This was applied, for example, to the former leader of Libya, Muammar Gaddafi, and the ex-president of Sudan, Omar al-Bashir. The International Criminal Court investigates the most serious crimes in the world — genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and crimes of aggression. According to many experts, it is the special international tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, which Ukraine calls for, that would restore justice and punish all those responsible for the terrible crimes caused by the biggest war in Europe since World War II. The world community has repeatedly faced the problems of violation of the principles of international relations, often accompanied by local and global conflicts. This is not surprising, since Moscow systematically resorts to exploiting the status of a peacekeeper and is constantly trying to lobby its own interests, effectively creating a cover for its war crimes. In fact, the annexation of Crimea, Russian aggression in the Donbas, and then a full-scale invasion after February 24 has become an indicator of hybrid threats that are no longer limited to standard blackmail and provocations, but become a real war mixed with blood and lies. The Kremlin will undoubtedly answer for all these crimes in the international courtroom. But so far, the only effective method of confronting the aggressor country is the courage of Ukrainian soldiers and the support of the civilized world in the fight against the terrorist state of the Russian Federation. Ukraine continues to work with partners on measures to deter Russia from further aggressive actions and strengthen the security and defense capabilities of the state in order to counter jointly the RF’s hybrid threats. There is no doubt that every Russian war criminal responsible for crimes in Ukraine must be brought to justice, and maximum sanctions must be imposed on Russia.