Special tribunal against Russian leadership may be launched in 2026, President's Office says

The special tribunal on the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine is expected to start in 2026, Deputy Head of Ukrainian President's Office Iryna Mudra told Ukrinform on May 5.

The tribunal, set to operate within the Council of Europe, will focus on Russia's political and military leaders, including President Vladimir Putin.

"The special tribunal may start operating as early as next year. This year, we are finalizing the legal framework and forming the special tribunal: recruiting judges and the secretariat, implementing rules, regulations, and procedures," Mudra said.

A draft charter for the special tribunal that fully regulates its work has already been created, according to Mudra.

"A special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine has been created in basically two years. This is quite fast, given the very complex and sensitive issues on which we had to seek a compromise," she said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has been a strong advocate for the tribunal, seeking to hold Putin accountable for launching the full-scale invasion nearly three years ago.

Ukrainian authorities have documented thousands of war crimes by Russian forces, including deliberate attacks on civilians, cultural sites, and medical institutions, as well as cases of torture and forced deportations.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has already issued arrest warrants for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian official overseeing the forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.

In March 2024, the ICC also issued warrants for two Russian military commanders for strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure during the winter of 2022-2023.

Unlike war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide — charges that apply to individuals at all levels of a military conflict — the crime of aggression is a charge that can be brought exclusively against the top leadership of an aggressor state.