PRESS RELEASE : Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with an expert group on the creation of a special international mechanism of justice

The press release issued by the President of Ukraine on 11 April 2022.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with an expert group working on the issue of creating a special mechanism for the judicial review and pre-trial investigation of all war crimes committed by Russian aggressors on the territory of Ukraine.

This group includes: the Head of the President’s Office, his deputies, profile ministers and chairpersons of parliamentary committees, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, the Chairman of the Supreme Court, and the chairpersons of courts of cassation.

At the beginning of the meeting, Deputy Head of the Office of the President Andriy Smyrnov reported on the readiness of the Office of the President together with relevant ministries to present a model of creating special international instruments for prosecuting Russia’s crimes against Ukraine and a mechanism of compensations for the victims. These models are ready for further discussion with Ukraine’s international partners.

During the meeting, the participants discussed the establishment of a special international military tribunal, which could provide a legal assessment of the evidence of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, which is obvious. It was emphasized that the establishment of such a mechanism in no way prejudices the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, from which Ukraine expects decisions on crimes of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The parties also discussed the issue of creating a special mechanism in the form of arbitration regarding compensation for the losses caused by Russia’s aggression to Ukraine.