Mariia Mezensteva-Fedorenko: Many international lawyers and criminal law experts want to become judges of the Special Tribunal and be part of this historic justice
19 May 2026, 17:32
The decision of 36 states and the European Union to approve the Enlarged Partial Agreement on the establishment of the Steering Committee of the Special Tribunal on the crime of aggression of russia against Ukraine is another important step that lays the legal foundation for the work of the future Special Tribunal. Many international lawyers and criminal law experts wish to serve as judges in it.
Mariia Mezentseva-Fedorenko, member of the faction “Servant of the People”, Deputy Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union, and Head of the Ukrainian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), stated:
“It is important not only to inform the world about the horrific war crimes of the russian federation, crimes against humanity, but also to take concrete steps towards restoring justice through international law mechanisms. The Special Tribunal will consider the core crime — the crime of aggression against Ukraine; everything else — shelling, forced displacement of citizens, including children, the detention of civilians in captivity, destruction and damage of property, and Ukrainians’ material and non-material losses — are derivatives of the main crime,” the politician said.
According to her, the Special Tribunal sends a signal not only to Putin but also to other future aggressors in the world that evil will be punished.
“The evidence has already been collected, the facts are there, and we are eagerly awaiting the launch of the Special Tribunal office in The Hague, the Netherlands. This is about bringing to justice the leadership of the russian federation at the political and military levels, which planned the aggression and issued orders at the highest level that were subsequently carried out. I also want to note that many international lawyers and criminal law experts want to become judges of this tribunal. It will be highly prestigious to be part of this historic justice,” the Member of Parliament stressed.
She added that the steps towards the launch of the Special Tribunal clearly confirm that Ukraine is capable of uniting the world around itself.
“putin’s goal is to make Ukraine cease to exist. This is not about Donetsk, Luhansk, parts of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions, but about our entire state. Therefore, putin and his entourage continue the war by committing horrific crimes. Our task today is to prevent the continuation of genocide by the russian federation. And those responsible for aggression and invasion, which led to destruction, mass deportations, violence, and so on, must be punished,” the parliamentarian concluded.