Two options of creating special tribunal for Russia being considered - Kostin

Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andriy Kostin said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

"...We are currently discussing two options - an international tribunal established by a UN General Assembly resolution, and another proposal is an internationalized tribunal, which includes Ukrainian and foreign judges who will act on the basis of Ukrainian law," Kostin said.

The Prosecutor General explained that an internationalized tribunal is what "some of our partners proposed as a hybrid tribunal, and then renamed it an internationalized tribunal."

"Thus, there are two basic positions, working with which, I think, we will find a result," he said.

The Prosecutor General also does not rule out that the special tribunal can convict in absentia.

"Conviction in absentia is possible. This is the difference between the special tribunal and the ICC. The last one cannot judge in absentia. But the tribunal can. The Ukrainian people should not wait long," he said.

As reported, Ukraine, together with its partners, is promoting the creation of a special tribunal to bring the leadership of the Russian Federation to justice for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

The creation of such a tribunal was supported by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and individual states.

The International Center for the Prosecution of Crimes of Aggression against Ukraine was launched in The Hague. It is expected to support and coordinate the preparation of cases on crimes of aggression.

This is the first internationally supported initiative to investigate the crime of aggression since World War II.