The president of the Executive of the European Union (EU), Ursula von der Leyen, announced this November 30 that the bloc of 27 countries intends to establish a specialized court, backed by the United Nations, to investigate and prosecute possible “war crimes” committed by Russia in the war in Ukraine. The proposal also aims to use Moscow’s frozen assets to rebuild the invaded country.
The European Union is ready to place in the dock the Russians implicated in the alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the ongoing war in Ukraine.
To do this, Brussels is working on the establishment of a special court, with the support of the UN, and which will collaborate with the International Criminal Court (ICC), as announced by the president of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen.
“Russia must pay for its horrible crimes, including its crime of aggression against a sovereign state. For this reason, while we continue to support the International Criminal Court, we propose to create a specialized court backed by the United Nations to investigate and prosecute Russia’s crime of aggression,” said the president of the EU Executive in a video statement issued this 30 of November.
Russia must pay for its horrific crimes.
We will work with the ICC and help set up a specialized court to try Russia’s crimes.
With our partners, we will make sure that Russia pays for the devastation it caused, with the frozen funds of oligarchs and assets of its central bank pic.twitter.com/RL4Z0dfVE9
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) November 30, 2022
In addition to investigating and prosecuting those likely responsible for the crimes committed since Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of the neighboring country on February 24, the proposal proposes the use of frozen funds from Moscow for the reconstruction and repair of the invaded nation.
“Russia must also pay financially for the devastation it has caused. The damage suffered by Ukraine is estimated at 600 billion euros. Russia and its oligarchs have to compensate Ukraine for their damage and for the costs of rebuilding the country,” Von der Leyen said.
“Russia’s horrible crimes will not go unpunished”
The leader of the 27-country bloc stressed that the Kremlin’s actions have brought “indescribable death and suffering.” In particular, she recalled the horrors and findings in the liberated towns that were in the hands of Russian troops.
In Bucha and Borodyanka, on the outskirts of kyiv, Kherson, in the south of the country, and in other regions retaken by the Ukrainian Army, survivors and human rights organizations have denounced murders, torture, and rape against men, women, and children committed by the Russian military during the occupation.
“It is estimated that so far more than 20,000 civilians and more than 100,000 Ukrainian military have died,” said the diplomatic leader.
“Russia’s horrible crimes will not go unpunished (…) We are ready to start working with the international community to obtain the broadest possible support for this specialized court,” Von der Leyen remarked.
Up to now, and despite multiple complaints, the Government of Vladimir Putin denies that its troops are attacking civilians in what it calls a “special military operation” to “denazify” Ukraine.
But Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky claims that more than 400 war crimes have been committed in Kherson alone, during the invasion by the Russian army. And until May 23, the attorney general of the attacked nation, Iryna Venediktova, reported that her country was investigating approximately 13,000 cases of alleged war crimes perpetrated by the Moscow military.
Brussels’ announcement to create a special tribunal came shortly after Zelensky claimed it was “impossible” for Russia’s leaders to be held accountable before the ICC.
The president explained that “the available international legal instruments are not enough for Justice” and that “even in the International Criminal Court it is still impossible to bring the highest political and military leaders in Moscow for the crime of aggression against our State.”
New shelling strikes Zaporizhia
Russia continues its assaults that since last October have targeted especially the facilities that provide electricity and water services for the civilian population, in the midst of low temperatures, for which the West accuses the Kremlin of using winter as a new weapon of war .
This Wednesday there were attacks with Russian missiles in the Zaporizhia region, in the south of the country, which hit a gas distribution point; which caused a fire that has already been extinguished, according to the head of the Zaporizhia regional military administration, Oleksandr Starukh.
There were no fatalities or injuries, according to local authorities.
⚡️Governor: Russia strikes Zaporizhzhia Oblast on Nov. 30.
Zaporizhzhia Oblast Governor Oleksandr Starukh reported that Russian forces launched a missile at one of the settlements in the region. A gas distribution point was hit, and a fire broke out.
Video: Oleksandr Starukh pic.twitter.com/1hS4Kytkka
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) November 30, 2022
Even without his troops fully controlling it, Zaporizhia is one of four regions that the Putin administration annexed last September after holding disputed referendums. There is the largest nuclear plant in Europe, a high-risk focus of an atomic catastrophe due to the continuous bombardments in its surroundings.
The Russian nuclear agency Rosenergoatom reported in recent hours that Moscow has appointed Yuriy Chernichuk, former chief engineer of the Ukrainian state atomic company, Energoatom, as the new director of the plant.
The position had been vacant since October when, according to information from kyiv, the head of the plant, Ihor Murashov, was kidnapped by the Russians.
Meanwhile, fighting is intensifying and Ukrainian authorities have reported killing another 500 soldiers from Russian units in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of deaths among Moscow ranks to 88,880.
Russia, which since the start of the conflict has provided few updates on its dead soldiers, admitted until last September the death of around 6,000 men,
With Reuters and local media
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