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A tribunal signed as the strikes continued
Summary
On 25 June 2025, Ukraine's president put his name to a deal on a special tribunal, days after deadly Russian strikes on Kyiv and Dnipro.
What does a signature on paper mean when missiles are still landing? That question hung over 25 June 2025, when Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Council of Europe's Human Rights Office signed an accord to establish a special tribunal for crimes in Ukraine.
The days before
The signing followed a run of attacks. On 23 June, Russian forces launched a large-scale drone and missile strike on Kyiv, damaging residential areas, hospitals and sports infrastructure. Nine people were killed and at least 33 injured.
On 24 June, an Iskander missile struck Dnipro, killing at least 19 people and injuring 300 others. In Samar, in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a Russian air attack killed another two civilians and injured nine.
Money and accountability
Also on 23 June, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte announced that European countries and Canada would send Ukraine a combined aid package of €35 billion (US$40.3 billion).
Set side by side, the three developments covered different ground: the continuing attacks on cities, material support for Ukraine, and a legal mechanism aimed at crimes committed in the war. The accord signed on 25 June belonged to the third category. It created the basis for a special tribunal, rather than a functioning court.
The sequence of dates is plain. The deaths in Kyiv and Dnipro came within two days of each other, and the tribunal accord followed the next day.
