Council of Europe approved launch of special tribunal on crime of aggression by Russian Federation

Legal process launched to create a special tribunal against Russia for the crime of aggression

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has adopted a key decision to establish a Special Tribunal to investigate Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine.

According to Censor.NET, this was reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In Chisinau, during a ministerial-level meeting, 36 countries and the European Union agreed on an Expanded Partial Agreement that launches the mechanism for establishing a Special Tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine. The document provides for the formation of a steering committee for the future tribunal and sets out the basic administrative and managerial principles governing its operations.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga stated that the decision marks a de facto "point of no return," after which the special tribunal becomes a legal reality. At the same time, he emphasized that this is only the beginning of a long process that should lead to actual convictions and practical accountability for waging an aggressive war against Ukraine.

According to Sibiga, the circle of participating countries will continue to expand, and the next steps will be to establish an institutional framework in The Hague and launch the tribunal’s full-scale operations. He emphasized that this mechanism is important not only for Ukraine and Europe, but also for the development of an international system in which the crime of aggression does not go unpunished.

What happened before?

On April 30, the European Parliament adopted a resolution titled "Ensuring Accountability and Justice in Response to Russia's Ongoing Attacks Against the Civilian Population in Ukraine."
The resolution calls on the EU to join and finalize the establishment of a tribunal regarding Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine as soon as possible.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga announced yesterday that the European Union has officially notified the Council of Europe of its intention to accede to the Enlarged Partial Agreement on the Administrative Committee of the Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.

Special Tribunal on Russian Crimes

On March 21, 2025, at the final meeting in Strasbourg, work was completed on the key legal documents for the establishment of a Special Tribunal on Russian War Crimes.
In April, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas stated that the European Union had concluded technical negotiations on the establishment of a special tribunal against Russia to punish the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
Iryna Mudra, Deputy Head of the Office of the President, noted in May that the Special Tribunal on Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine could begin its work as early as next year.
At its meeting in June, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted key documents necessary for the establishment of a Special Tribunal to investigate crimes of aggression against Ukraine.
On June 25, 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset signed an agreement establishing a Special Tribunal to investigate the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that it would not recognize the Special Tribunal on Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine and warned third countries against joining it.
On July 1, 2025, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the documents to ratify the Agreement on the Establishment of a Special Tribunal on Russia’s Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.
On July 15, 2025, the Verkhovna Rada ratified the Agreement with the Council of Europe on the establishment of a special tribunal to address the Russian Federation’s crime of aggression against Ukraine.