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Czech Republic joins Special Tribunal for Russian Crimes against Ukraine

Author:
Veronika Dovhaniuk
Date:

The 23rd country, the Czech Republic, has joined the Special Tribunal, which will investigate the crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

This was reported by Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sybiha in X.

The agreement on the legal formalization of the Special Tribunal will be put to a vote in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on May 14-15 (it will be held in Chisinau).

Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression of the Russian Federation

Ukraine insists on the creation of a Special Tribunal, since the International Criminal Court and other similar institutions cannot, at this stage, consider cases concerning the crime of aggression.

The heads of foreign ministries of European countries and the EU leadership expressed political support for the launch of the Special Tribunal on May 9, 2025. On June 25, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset signed an agreement on its establishment in Strasbourg. The Statute of the Special Tribunal is also ready.

In January 2026, the European Union transferred the first €10 million for the establishment of the Special Tribunal, and in March it began the process to become one of the founding members of the tribunal.

Austria, Portugal, Iceland, Poland, France, Costa Rica, Croatia, Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, Finland, Greece, and the Czech Republic have already joined the Special Tribunal.

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