Russia's military and political leadership must answer for war against Ukraine - Shmyhal

Russia's military and political leadership must answer for the crimes its military committed against Ukraine.

Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said this at the opening of an exhibition "Russian War Crimes" in Brussels on Monday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"This exhibition - a thousand photos taken all over Ukraine - is a small part of the evidence of crimes committed by Russia. All these crimes must be solved and perpetrators must be brought to justice. Every murderer must answer for his actions. Every executioner must understand that punishment is inevitable. In addition to the direct perpetrators of all terrible crimes, there are other criminals whose guilt is much greater - those who started this war, those who gave the order to destroy Ukraine as a state and Ukrainians as a nation. We are talking about the Russian leadership," Shmyhal said.

He stressed the need to create an international mechanism that will make it possible to investigate and prosecute the highest political and military leadership of Russia for committing crimes of aggression against Ukraine. Shmyhal said that an international tribunal must ensure fair and legal punishment for those who started the war.

Read also: Ukraine calls on world to create special tribunal for Russia's crimes

Ukraine earlier initiated the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute members of the Russian Security Council for committing a crime of aggression. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, and the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly supported the creation of such a tribunal.

Photo: Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine