A tribunal for Putin, punishment for Russia and compensation for aggression – key takeaways from Mudra's interview
A landmark event is set to take place next week in Chișinău: the formal legal creation of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression. Put simply, there is now a decision to establish a "Hague tribunal" for Vladimir Putin, Alexander Lukashenko and Russia's top leadership.
In Ukraine, the issue of holding Russia internationally accountable is overseen by Iryna Mudra, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office.
Read more in Mudra's interview with European Pravda, where she explained the progress in establishing the tribunal on Russia's crime of aggression, when the first verdicts might be issued against those responsible and how the compensation mechanism is developing: "A verdict for Putin will carry both symbolic and practical meaning." Mudra on the tribunal and punishment for Russia.
From the very beginning of the full-scale war, even during peace talks, Russia insisted on lifting all sanctions, ending all legal proceedings against it and halting any accountability initiatives. These were its red lines.
Holding Russia accountable is not a bargaining chip and importantly, none of Ukraine's partners are demanding concessions on this issue.
Russia is also reacting very painfully to any discussions about its frozen assets and still operates under the illusion that it will be able to recover this money.
As of now, more than 250,000 cases of war crimes have been registered. Joint investigative teams with international partners are already working and the first verdicts have been delivered.
A separate issue is the crime of aggression itself – the foundational crime from which everything else began. Without aggression, there would have been no war crimes.
This involves a much smaller group of perpetrators – up to 30 individuals from the highest political and military leadership. This includes the three key figures in Russia as of 2022: the president, the prime minister and the foreign minister.
Ukraine believes the tribunal should also cover states that clearly assisted Russia in its aggression, including Belarus, North Korea and possibly Iran.
The tribunal for Russia’s top leadership is now moving from the political stage to practical implementation.
In Chișinău, during the ministerial meeting of the Council of Europe on 14-15 May, the phase of adopting the political decision to establish the tribunal will be finalised.
The tribunal will operate in The Hague.
So far, 24 countries have confirmed they will join the agreement in Chișinău, though this is not the final number. At least 40 states from the "core group" that prepared the tribunal agreement are expected to participate, with efforts ongoing to привлече more countries from the Global South and beyond Europe.
The United States is not blocking the tribunal's creation.
The work of prosecutors and investigators is expected to begin no earlier than late 2027 or even 2028, with verdicts likely not coming before 2028.
We may not see Putin in the dock anytime soon, but what about in 10-15 years? Judging by his current activity, he may still be around politically.
However, making him a global outcast is also a matter of justice.
Any future verdict would carry not only symbolic but also practical significance. It should demonstrate that a war of aggression comes at a very high cost – both personally for the leader and for the state.
Financial responsibility lies with the state.
A compensation mechanism is a key part of that responsibility. A compensation commission, whose founding convention has already been signed by 35 states plus the European Union, is expected to begin issuing its first decisions in 2027.
Ukraine has high hopes of advancing the issue of frozen Russian assets, which could become a fast and lawful source of funding for the compensation fund.
Together with private businesses and citizens, total losses from Russia's aggression are estimated to exceed $1 trillion.