Center to investigate crimes of aggression against Ukraine opens in The Hague

The International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA) started its operations in The Hague on Monday, according to a press release by the European Commission. The center, a collaboration between Ukraine, the US, European countries, and the International Criminal Court (ICC), will gather evidence and help investigate Russia's crimes of aggression against Ukraine to facilitate case building for future trials.

European Commission Ursula von der Leyen stated that the center will "play a key role in making sure that the perpetrators are brought to justice, including for the crime of aggression. We will leave no stone unturned to hold Putin and his henchmen accountable."

The center's investigations extend beyond Putin and his ministers. According to Ukraine, 600 Russians were involved in planning the war, 312 have already been indicted, and 20 convicted in absentia by a Ukrainian court. Arrest warrants have been issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Putin and the Russian Commissioner for Children's Rights, Maria Lvova-Belova, in relation to the alleged deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.

The ICC is helping Ukraine in investigating war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide purportedly committed during the war. The ICC has already started exploring more than 93,000 reports of war crimes since the war's inception. Inside Ukraine, multiple Russian servicemen have already faced trials.

In May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated his wish to see Russian President Putin stand trial before an international tribunal under the UN's authority. However, the United States advocates for Ukrainian courts, supported internationally, to preside over all Russian crimes.