The main legal stage of work on the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine has been completed, so it is now moving on to its practical launch.
This was reported by the President's Office.
Ukraine has already ratified a bilateral agreement with the Council of Europe. Since February 2026, an advance group has been operating in The Hague and Strasbourg, preparing the organizational launch of the tribunal. The European Union has allocated 10 million euros in funding for the advance group's activities.
On May 14-15 in Chisinau, the Council of Europe is to take the next step towards launching the Special Tribunal and conclude an agreement on its steering committee.
The first 20 countries have already confirmed their intention to join: Austria, Croatia, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Spain, Estonia, Costa Rica, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Poland, Portugal, Sweden and Ukraine.
After the preparatory stages are completed, the tribunal should begin full-fledged work. Ukraine expects the Special Tribunal to be fully operational next year.
What is known about the creation of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression by the Russian Federation?
The NATO Parliamentary Assembly on November 21, 2022, recognized the Russian Federation as a terrorist state and also supported a resolution that calls for the creation of a Special Tribunal for Russian aggression. However, this decision must still be supported by each individual country at the national level.
On November 8, 2023, the Verkhovna Rada voted in favor of the draft law on the Register of Damages Caused by Russia. The document is aimed at protecting the rights and interests of Ukraine and its citizens. In particular, it provides an opportunity to submit information on damages caused by the war of the Russian Federation and promotes the formation of compensation mechanisms.
On March 22, 2024, the Office of the Register of Damages Caused by the Russian Federation opened in Kyiv. The institution will employ approximately 10 people: lawyers and communications specialists. And in a few weeks they will begin accepting applications for compensation from people. As the Executive Director of the Register of Damages Caused by the Russian Federation's Aggression against Ukraine, Markiyan Klyuchkovsky, said, the Office's employees will begin with applications of the first category: damages for destroyed housing.
On May 9, 2025, the foreign ministers of the European Union countries and representatives of the bloc's top leadership approved the launch of a special tribunal on the crime of aggression by the Russian military-political leadership against Ukraine.
The special tribunal will operate in The Hague. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaia Kallas said she expects the tribunal's first decisions to be issued as early as 2026.
On May 14, the Council of Europe supported the creation of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Russian Aggression, and the coalition already includes more than 40 countries.
On June 25, President Zelensky and the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, signed an agreement to establish a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Russian Aggression against Ukraine. The final version of the Statute of the Special Tribunal was published on the Council of Europe website.
On July 15, 2025, the Ukrainian Parliament ratified the agreement between Ukraine and the Council of Europe on the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine.