On Monday, law enforcement officials from Ukraine, the European Union, and the United States opened an international center to file claims against Russian leadership due to Moscow's attack on Ukraine in 2022. Ukrainian authorities have reviewed over 93,000 reports of war crimes and have charged 207 suspects in local courts. Senior officials responsible for crimes can be prosecuted in the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which has already requested the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, due to a gap in international law, there is currently no court capable of conducting investigations into the crime of aggression related to the attack that began on February 24, 2022.
The International Center for the Investigation of the Crime of Aggression, which is also based in The Hague, will work alongside the International Criminal Court to bridge this legal gap. The International Criminal Court is the world’s permanent court for war crimes. Ukraine's Chief Prosecutor Andriy Kostin stated in a press interview, "The new center will collect evidence related to potential cases against Russian military and political leaders responsible for the war," adding, "If crimes of aggression had not been committed, 93,000 other incidents of war crimes would not have occurred."
With support from the European Union and the United States, along with a joint investigation team regarding Ukraine, the center will effectively serve as a precursor to a special court for aggression by building a case file that can be presented to the court. The United States will contribute evidence and will send a special prosecutor, Jessica Kim, to The Hague.
