From next week, the Center for the Investigation of Crimes of Russian Aggression - Attorney General Kostin - will start working in The Hague

Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin expressed the hope that this will eliminate gaps in the mechanisms of bringing the aggressor to justice. The decision to open the International Center for the Prosecution of Crimes of Aggression in Ukraine was made in March 2023 at the United for Justice conference in Lviv.

Russia will answer! The International Center for the Prosecution of Crimes of Aggression against Ukraine will start its work in The Hague next week, announced the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin at the 5th Open Forum of the Slynn Foundation, devoted to the problem of impunity in Russia.

“I hope this will close loopholes in the mechanisms for holding the aggressor to account. The creation of a special international court is the most reasonable solution and response to Russia's impunity,” Kostin said, quoted by the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office.

The decision to open the International Center for the Prosecution of Crimes of Aggression in Ukraine was made in March 2023 at the United for Justice conference in Lviv. The Prosecutor General of Ukraine hopes that through joint efforts, it will be possible to hold the aggressor country to account.

“Ukraine's position is clear: we must put an end to impunity in Russia, both as a state and as individuals involved in planning and committing crimes. This is extremely important for the security of the whole world,” stressed Kostin.

Russia's aggression against Ukraine

The establishment of the International Center for the Prosecution of Crimes of Russian Aggression was initiated by the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine with the support of Eurojust, the International Criminal Court and in partnership with Lithuania, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia and Romania. The creation of such a Center was later announced by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. She recalled that Ukrainian law enforcement officers are cooperating with their European colleagues and collecting evidence to bring Russia to justice for the crimes committed.

On January 19, the European Parliament passed a resolution on the establishment of a tribunal for Russia's top leadership, in particular for president Vladimir Putin. It also refers to the prosecution of the self-proclaimed president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, and his regime for aiding the Russian dictator.

On February 17, the government of the Netherlands approved the decision to create an international compensation organization in The Hague for the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine – the International Register of Compensation.

In March, the International Court of Justice of the United Nations in The Hague ordered Moscow to immediately stop the hostilities that began on February 24 in Ukraine. Later, the International Criminal Court in The Hague issued international arrest warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Ombudsman for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova. They are suspected of illegal deportations of Ukrainian children.