THE HAGUE: An international investigation office seen as a"truly historic" first step towards a possible trial of Russia's leadership opened in The Hague on Monday to probe a crime of aggression against Ukraine.
"We are gathered here on the occasion of a truly historic moment - I would say an epoch-defining moment," Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin told a news conference in The Hague. It will gather evidence, including photos and communications intercepts, both for national investigations underway by five European countries including Ukraine and also for any future tribunal.
But the court's rules do not allow it to prosecute Russia over the"leadership" crime of aggression, which the ICC's founding Rome Statute defines as the attack of one state on another in breach of the UN charter. EU Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders said the new office showed that Kyiv's allies would"stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes".But crucial questions remain about any possible special tribunal, including how it would work, where it would be based, when it could be created and who would support it.