The government of the Netherlands has agreed to host the fully-fledged operational phase of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha announced the decision on Sunday, July 5, stating that the tribunal is now moving from conceptual discussions into a tangible legal institution.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “The Netherlands has decided that it will host on its territory not only the preparatory phases of the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine, but also its fully-fledged operational phase,” Sybiha stated. According to the Foreign Minister, the tribunal’s establishment in The Hague is structured in distinct stages. The institution is currently entering “Phase 1” (the Skeleton Tribunal), a transitional period focused on forming the structural framework. During this phase, 15 judges will be selected for the registry, procedural rules will be approved, and the necessary administrative and security infrastructure will be established. Following this preparation, the institution will move to “Phase 2,” becoming a fully-fledged tribunal. In this operational stage, the court will exercise its jurisdiction to conduct active investigations, issue indictments, hold trials, and hand down verdicts specifically regarding the crime of aggression. “This decision goes far beyond an organizational issue,” Sybiha noted. “It demonstrates the international community’s readiness to move from supporting the idea of accountability to creating an institution that will ensure it in practice.”