MOSCOW, August 22. /TASS/. Ukraine has conceded that the idea of an international tribunal on Russia, which Kiev politicians touted after the start of the special military operation, didn’t gain traction among its partners, Andrey Smirnov, a deputy head at the Ukrainian president’s office, said in an interview with the Ukrainian news outlet the Klimenko Time.
"The doctrine of international law is held hostage by global politics, by geopolitics. And some of our partners fear that this precedent will be used against them, because they also conduct military campaigns abroad. And this should be honestly talked about," he said.
The government in Kiev has repeatedly proposed the idea of holding a tribunal against Russia, placing the responsibility for civilian casualties on the Russian military and producing false reports to that effect. The Russian authorities, however, have repeatedly stated that the purpose of the special operation is to demilitarize and de-Nazify Ukraine, the strikes target exclusively military facilities, and the only reason why civilians suffer is Kiev's actions, for example the inept performance of Ukrainian air defense systems.
Russia repeatedly noted earlier that a tribunal is what awaits representatives of the Kiev regime, whose methods will be recognized as extremist and terrorist in the future. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the West would not be able to wash its hands of what has become a part of its modus operandi either. The West created the Kiev regime, and is now sponsoring those who commit extremist and terrorist attacks, she said.