Official: International tribunal for Russian war crimes could be ready in 1-1.5 years

At the current pace, Ukraine can come close to creating a war crimes tribunal for Russian leadereship within a year to a year and a half, according to Andrii Smyrnov, deputy head of the Ukrainian president's office.

Smyrnov told Ukrinform on Jan.17 that Ukraine has already collected many decisions in support of establishing such a body from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the European Parliament and the European Commission.

"Compared to historical examples of the establishment of relevant tribunals, we are moving at hypercosmic speed," Smyrnov said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Nov. 30 that the EU was working to set up an international tribunal for the Russian crime of aggression in its invasion of Ukraine.

"Russia must pay for its horrific crimes," she said at the time. "With our partners, we will make sure that Russia pays for the devastation it caused, with the frozen funds of oligarchs and assets of its central bank."

Ukraine is expecting the UN General Assembly to vote on a resolution on the creation of a special tribunal on Russia's aggression, Smyrnov said.Russia committed tens of thousands of war crimes in Ukraine since the beginning of the full scale invasion, according to the Ukrainian General Prosecutor's office.

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The Kyiv Independent