European Union proposes tribunal on possible Russian war crimes

The European Union proposed the creation of a UN-backed court Wednesday to investigate possible Russian war crimes in Ukraine. The EU proposed creating either a special independent international court based on treaties or a hybrid court—a Ukrainian national court with international judges. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen also suggested using frozen Russian assets to help rebuild war-torn Ukraine. 

Isn’t there already an investigation? The Hague-based International Criminal Court launched an investigation days after Russia’s Feb. 27 invasion, but Russia does not recognize that court’s jurisdiction. Leading industrial nations in the G-7 group agreed Tuesday to also launch an investigation. A new court could also help resolve the issue of immunity for the prosecution of top officials, the EU said. Typically, international law awards so-called functional immunity to top state officials, protecting them from being tried outside of their country while in office. But legal experts who support a special court also have theorized about how to prosecute international crimes. Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia would not recognize a new tribunal.

Dig deeper: Read Evgeny Kosykh’s report in WORLD Magazine about Russian citizens speaking out against their country’s authorities despite crackdowns.