International center for prosecution of russia’s crimes in Ukraine will be set up in the Hague

The International Center for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression in Ukraine will be established in The Hague.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced this during the joint press conference with President Zelensky.

"russia must answer to the court for its terrible crimes. Prosecutors from Ukraine and the European Union are already working together. We are collecting evidence." she said. "The very first stage is that an international center for the prosecution of the crime of aggression in Ukraine will be created in The Hague." 

"It will coordinate the collection of evidence. It will be embedded in the joint investigation team, which is supported by our agency Eurojust. So we will be ready to very quickly start work with Eurojust, with Ukraine, with the partners of our joint investigative group, as well as with the Netherlands," the President of the European Commission continued.

On January 19, the European Parliament adopted a recommendatory resolution on creating a special tribunal regarding the crime of russian aggression against Ukraine. On January 26, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) voted unanimously to establish a special international tribunal due to aggression against Ukraine.

The demand for an international tribunal echoes a call by British lawmakers, who previously expressed support for "the creation of a special tribunal with a limited focus on the crime of aggression" in addition to the investigation conducted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Despite mounting evidence, moscow, which says it is conducting a "special military operation" in Ukraine, continues to deny deliberate attacks on civilians or other war crimes.