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Back PACE sets out plans to try Russian leaders, strengthen sanctions and stop the ‘erasure’ of Ukrainian identity

In a trio of resolutions, adopted today after a joint debate in Strasbourg, PACE has set out plans to try Vladimir Putin and his generals for aggression against Ukraine, strengthen sanctions against Russia and counter its attempts to “erase” Ukrainian cultural identity.

Approving a resolution and recommendation based on a report by Davor Ivo Stier (Croatia, EPP/CD), the Assembly said a special tribunal, created by agreement between the Council of Europe and Ukraine and supported by an enlarged partial agreement open to non-member States and other international organisations, was now “the best feasible option, in terms of legal basis and political legitimacy” for trying Russia’s political and military leadership for the crime of aggression.

“There cannot be peace without accountability,” the parliamentarians declared, inviting the Core Group to “maintain the momentum” towards a tribunal, thanking the Netherlands for its offer to host it in the Hague, and urging states and other international organisations to participate.

The Assembly also again urged the seizure and repurposing of Russian State assets, with a view to transferring them to an international compensation fund for Ukraine.

In a separate resolution based on a report by Yelyzaveta Yasko (Ukraine, EPP), the Assembly proposed ways to plug “gaps and loopholes” in existing sanctions against Russia, such as listing and banning “shadow fleet” vessels, enhancing export controls, and holding parent companies accountable for subsidiaries' actions.

In a third resolution, based on a report by Yevheniia Kravchuk (Ukraine, ALDE), the Assembly condemned Russia’s systematic efforts to “erase” Ukrainian cultural identity – such as the "Russification" of children, rewriting history textbooks, removing archives, and destroying cultural heritage. These were “war crimes and crimes against humanity”, the parliamentarians said, underlining the need for full reparations in due course.

Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Michael O’Flaherty, making his first address to PACE in the framework of the debate, set out five priorities for standing up for the human rights of Ukrainians.

Adopted resolution 2556 (2024)