Lauge Risom Koch 
EU ministers have backed a special tribunal designed to prosecute Russia’s leadership over the war in Ukraine using a framework compared to the Nuremberg trials.
European Union ministers have voted to approve plans to create a special tribunal aimed at prosecuting Russia’s leadership over the war in Ukraine.
The court is expected to focus on the crime of aggression, echoing prosecutions carried out after World War II.
Tribunal support
According to The Kyiv Independent, EU ministers voted on May 5 to support the creation of a Council of Europe-backed tribunal targeting senior Russian officials.
The move advances efforts to establish a court capable of prosecuting the decision to launch the war against Ukraine.
“This is a significant and long-anticipated step forward,” Iryna Mudra, deputy head of the Ukrainian president’s office, told The Kyiv Independent.
She said the decision marked the transition from legal planning to the final stage of building the institution.
Nuremberg comparison
The proposed tribunal would focus on the international crime of aggression, the same charge used against Nazi German leaders during the Nuremberg trials after World War II.
According to The Kyiv Independent, supporters argue that no existing international court currently has a mandate to prosecute the act of launching a war itself.
Legal scholar Philippe Sands publicly advocated for such a tribunal in 2022, with the Council of Europe later agreeing in principle to support the initiative.
The Netherlands has since expressed interest in hosting the court, while the EU has contributed funding for evidence collection and preparatory work.
Leadership targets
Mudra said the goal is to ensure accountability becomes “not abstract, but legally enforceable.”
Once operational, the tribunal could pursue charges against Russian President Vladimir Putin and other senior political or military figures.
The court’s scope may also extend to countries supporting Russia’s war effort, including Belarus and North Korea.
“It reflects a shared understanding among partners that the highest political and military leadership responsible for the decision to wage war must face justice under international law,” Mudra said.
Next steps
According to The Kyiv Independent, the tribunal already has more backing than the minimum required for its establishment.
Further progress is expected to be announced during a Council of Europe meeting in Chisinau on May 15.
Ukraine expects the tribunal to become fully operational by 2027.
Sources: The Kyiv Independent, Council of Europe
