Ukrainian President's Office expects special tribunal on Russia to launch next year

Iryna Mudra, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine responsible for issues related to holding Russia internationally accountable, commented on the historic decision to launch the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.

Mudra said this was the first time "since Nuremberg and Tokyo" that a separate mechanism of accountability for launching a war had been created.

"For years we were told this would never happen. Legally too complicated. Politically too sensitive. Too many interests against it," Mudra wrote on Facebook.

According to Mudra, the next stage will involve establishing the tribunal itself in The Hague, including appointing judges, approving procedures and launching investigations. She said the tribunal is expected to begin operating next year.

Mudra also recalled the lengthy negotiations and numerous attempts to find a legal mechanism for creating the tribunal. The official said the Ukrainian team of lawyers, diplomats and MPs repeatedly encountered resistance but continued searching for solutions.

She added that the tribunal should become an instrument of personal accountability for those who decided to launch the war against Ukraine.

Read also: Trial for Lavrov and Putin: all about the tribunal for Russia that received Europe's blessing