Photo: BGNES/EPA
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for an international tribunal for all those connected with the invasion of Russian forces in Ukraine, DPA reported.
“We will dismantle the entire Russian system of genocide, starting from the most insignificant in it and reaching the architects. They will all receive their sentences,” Zelensky said in his traditional evening address after meeting yesterday in Kyiv with the chief prosecutor of the International criminal court (ICC) Karim Khan.
While admitting that this will not be an easy task, the Ukrainian president pointed out that “to respond to Russian crimes and aggression exactly with the rule of law and exactly with the power of an international tribunal – this will be one of the guarantees for long-term security in the future both Ukrainians and other nations”.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine will inevitably have legal consequences for all those who planned, approved and carried it out, Zelensky said, stressing that responsibility will be borne not only by those who carry out the plans, but also by “the top political and military leadership of the terrorist state.” .
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, is already investigating what is happening in Ukraine, but the ICC cannot take action against Russian leaders because neither Russia nor Ukraine are parties to the Rome Statute, which is the legal basis for the ICC’s existence and its jurisdiction.
This is also one of the reasons why Zelensky called in September, in an address to the UN General Assembly, for the creation of a special tribunal for Ukraine, DPA notes.
The fighting near Bakhmut is getting more and more fierce, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said today in his traditional evening address.
Ukrainian and Russian forces have been contesting control over the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine for months, reports AFP.
“The biggest difficulties, as before, are in Bakhmut (. . .) Russia does not count its people, but constantly sends them to attack our positions. The fighting is becoming more and more fierce,” Zelensky pointed out./BTA
