Meeting with a delegation of the Estonian judiciary held at the Supreme Court

The President of the Supreme Court, Stanislav Kravchenko, emphasized that this visit is not only an opportunity for professional dialogue and exchange of experience, but also evidence of Estonia’s consistent support for Ukraine and its judicial system, particularly in the context of European integration. He stressed that a partnership tested by the most difficult circumstances has special value.

For his part, the President of the Supreme Court of Estonia, Villu Kõve, noted the resilience of Ukrainian society and the effectiveness of the judicial system even under the conditions of full-scale war – despite security challenges, staff shortages, and a significant workload.

The meeting was also attended by Oleksandr Marchuk, President of the Criminal Cassation Court within the Supreme Court; Mykola Mazur, Judge of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court; Yan Bernaziuk, Judge of the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court; Nataliia Marchuk and Viktor Ostapuk, Judges of the Criminal Cassation Court within the Supreme Court; Yevhen Petrov and Maksym Titov, Judges of the Civil Cassation Court within the Supreme Court; Paavo Randma, Justice of the Supreme Court of Estonia; Üllar Kaljumäe, Director of the Office of the Supreme Court of Estonia; Pavel Goncharov, Judge of the Tallinn Court of Appeal; Madis Metelitsa, Advisor at the Legal Information and Judicial Training Department of the Supreme Court of Estonia; Taavi Pern, State Prosecutor of the Estonian Prosecutor’s Office; and Priit Kama, Chief Judge of the Viru Circuit Court.

The parties discussed current challenges in the functioning of the judiciary during wartime, in particular the organization of court operations under security risks, blackouts, and changes in territorial jurisdiction due to the temporary occupation of certain territories.

Representatives of the Supreme Court also outlined the key categories of cases being considered by courts during the war and shared Ukraine’s experience in handling criminal proceedings related to war crimes, including the use of digital evidence in proving such offences.

In addition, members of the Estonian delegation were interested in issues related to cassation filters, the examination of cases under written proceedings and via videoconferencing, the resolution of jurisdictional conflicts, and the systematization of judicial practice through the preparation and dissemination of Supreme Court case law reviews.