European Parliament Backs Special Tribunal to Prosecute Russian Officials
The European Parliament on Thursday endorsed the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute Russian political and judicial leaders for crimes related to the war in Ukraine, according to a resolution passed in Brussels. Lawmakers specifically named the State Duma and Russia's Constitutional Court as institutions whose members must face prosecution, marking the first time the parliament has singled out specific state bodies for accountability.
Targeted Institutions
MEPs identified the State Duma, Russia's lower house of parliament, and the Constitutional Court as entities that played a central role in enabling and legitimizing the invasion of Ukraine. The resolution argues that these institutions, through legislative and judicial actions, provided legal cover for the war and must therefore be held criminally responsible. The parliament's move goes beyond earlier calls for prosecuting individual military and political leaders, expanding the scope of potential accountability to entire state organs.
The resolution does not specify a timeline for the tribunal's creation but calls on the European Union and its member states to work with Ukraine and international partners to establish a legal framework. The parliament's backing carries political weight but is not legally binding; the actual establishment of a tribunal would require agreement among EU governments and potentially broader international support.
Political Context
The vote comes amid a broader push by European institutions to ensure accountability for war crimes committed during the conflict. The European Parliament has previously called for the creation of a special tribunal, but Thursday's resolution is the first to explicitly name the State Duma and Constitutional Court as targets for prosecution. The move reflects growing frustration among EU lawmakers with the pace of international legal efforts, which have so far focused on the International Criminal Court's investigation into individual crimes rather than systemic institutional complicity.
The resolution passed with broad cross-party support, according to parliamentary officials. No formal vote tally was immediately released, but the measure is understood to have received backing from the three largest political groups in the parliament: the center-right European People's Party, the Socialists and Democrats, and the liberal Renew Europe group.
Next Steps
The European Commission and the EU's foreign policy arm will now examine the parliament's recommendations and propose concrete steps toward establishing the tribunal. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has previously expressed support for a special tribunal, though member states remain divided on the legal basis and scope of such a court. Some governments have raised concerns about jurisdictional issues and the potential for the tribunal to overlap with the International Criminal Court's existing mandate.
The parliament's resolution also calls on EU member states to begin preparatory work on the tribunal's statute, including defining the crimes to be prosecuted and the rules of procedure. Legal experts have noted that establishing a tribunal with jurisdiction over Russian state institutions would require either a UN Security Council resolution—a step Russia would almost certainly veto—or a multilateral treaty among willing states, a process that would take years.