The Imperative of Prosecuting Crimes of Aggression Committed against Ukraine

Abstract

As a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, we are sitting at a crossroads where one path further weakens the prohibition of the use of force and another helps restore its integrity. In this context, this article argues it is imperative that we take all available steps to reinforce the prohibition, and that holding President Putin to account for the crime of aggression holds the key in this regard. The article explains why it is necessary to establish an ad hoc international tribunal to prosecute crimes of aggression committed against Ukraine given the International Criminal Court lacks jurisdiction over any crime of aggression involving a State not party to the Rome Statute, the impossibility of amending the Statute in this instance, and the impediments that will stand in the way of a successful domestic prosecution of the crime of aggression, including immunities enjoyed by those most responsible. Finally, the article addresses the principal objections to the proposed tribunal including its cost (which is overstated and pales in comparison to the mounting cost of the ongoing conflict); its supposed redundancy given efforts to prosecute other serious international crimes committed in Ukraine (which undersells the challenge of holding leaders to account and discounts the value of separately prosecuting aggression); and the concern that the tribunal would represent selective justice (which overlooks the fact that a prosecution of the leaders of one of the world’s most powerful States would help end, rather than exacerbate, international criminal justice’s selectivity problem).