President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for the creation of a compensation mechanism for victims of Russian aggression. He said this on Thursday during an online speech at the international Ukraine Accountability Conference in The Hague.
The president noted that Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have already registered more than 34,000 crimes related to Russian aggression since February 24.
He noted the need to create a special tribunal to prosecute the crime of aggression.
"The existing judicial institutions, for jurisdictional reasons, cannot prosecute all the perpetrators specifically of the primary crime of aggression. Therefore, a special tribunal for this crime of Russian aggression against Ukraine is required. A tribunal that will ensure fair and legal punishment for those who started this history of disaster and tragedy," said Volodymyr Zelensky.
In addition to such a tribunal, an instrument of compensation for all losses for the aggression is needed, the president added.
"Time is ruthless and plays into Russia's hands. People do not know how to wait long for justice. If justice is made to wait, people feel as if it is not there... To ensure the feeling that justice is being restored, not only the perpetrators must be punished, but the victims of crimes must be given full help and rebuild everything destroyed by this aggression," warned the head of state.
He added that, according to Ukraine, compensation could come at the expense of Russian assets and funds located abroad in other jurisdictions. He thanked Canada for allowing the confiscation of Russian assets and transferring them to Ukraine's reconstruction and called for making the process global.