Finland has joined efforts to establish a special tribunal for Russia: details
23 April 16:15
Finland has joined the agreement to establish a special tribunal for Russia over crimes of aggression against Ukraine.
According to "Komersant Ukrainian", this was announced by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga.
“Finland has become the 21st country to officially join the tribunal. We expect this number to continue to grow,” Sybiha noted.
According to him, all countries—not just European ones—are invited to join the special tribunal.
“It doesn’t matter which part of the world we’re talking about when it comes to the universal value of respect for international law and the need to ensure justice,” the minister emphasized.
He added that the agreement will be put to a vote in a few weeks in Chisinau at a meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
“The special tribunal on the crime of aggression against Ukraine is a historic initiative. Join us in bringing it to life,” Sibiga urged his partners.
Special Tribunal for Russia
As a reminder, work is underway in Europe to establish a Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine.
Last June, Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset signed an agreement to establish a Special Tribunal to adjudicate crimes of aggression against Ukraine.
Prior to that, on May 9, 2025, a key international meeting took place in Lviv, where foreign ministers from dozens of European countries, together with representatives of the Council of Europe, gave the political green light to the creation of the special tribunal.
Following this, the process moved into the legal phase: countries began drafting agreements, gathering support, and establishing the legal framework for the tribunal, which is planned to be located in The Hague.
The tribunal will have the status of an international body. Its work will be based on Article 8 bis of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, as well as on the provisions of UN General Assembly Resolution No. 3314.
It is expected that the court will be able to issue rulings even in the absence of the accused—specifically regarding the political and military leadership of Russia, and potentially also Belarus and North Korea.
