Supreme Court judges take part in training "War Crimes and Justice: Strengthening Judicial Capacity and International Cooperation"

The discussion was focused on the issues of criminal liability for war crimes against property, the practice of international tribunals on this issue; the admissibility of evidence in international and national law, challenges and problems related to such admissibility.

The participants discussed the reflection of the principle of command responsibility in the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine and evidentiary standards related to the inaction of a commander and other superior; challenges in ensuring objectivity, neutrality and impartiality in war crimes trials.

Nataliia Antoniuk, Vice President of the Criminal Cassation Court within the Supreme Court, made a presentation on the problematic issues related to criminal liability for war crimes. The presentation focused on criminal liability for the crime of aggression, the range of potential perpetrators of this crime, and the assessment of the actions of persons involved in the ongoing crime of aggression against Ukraine through the prism of the stages of a criminal offence. The speaker also emphasised the need for consistent analysis of three sets of issues in war crimes judgments: the circle of protected persons under international humanitarian law, the definition of a legitimate military objective and proportionality.

The event was aimed at creating a practical infrastructure to facilitate inter-judicial dialogue and exchange of experience between judges trying international crimes, including war crimes, and national and international experts on the application of international humanitarian and international criminal law.

The event was also attended by judges of the Supreme Court at the Criminal Cassation Court Arkadii Bushchenko, Stanislav Holubytskyi, Ihor Ivanenko, Halyna Kret, Alla Makarovets, Viacheslav Nastavnyi and Viktor Ostapuk.

The training event was held within the framework of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Supreme Court and the Project Expedite Justice of 23 July 2025 and in pursuance of the joint initiative between the Supreme Court and the Project Expedite Justice.