Tetiana Bodnia

Veronika Kreidenkova, co-coordinator of Public Integrity Council: We cannot work properly until Council resolves issue of access to information on judges After the MPs refused to amend the legislation to give the Public Integrity Council full access to judicial dossiers with the ability to process this information, they stated that they could not work efficiently and quickly, and this would affect the competitive selection of candidates for the positions of judges of appellate courts, which is conducted by the High Qualification Commission of Judges with the participation of representatives of NGOs. 06.11.24 12:06 6 561 14

Prosecutor Yurii Bielousov: "We will now structure crimes related to our POWs, including facts of their execution, as potential crime of genocide" Why do Russians often execute our military who surrender? How are such crimes investigated? Will we be able to return civilians who cannot be included in exchanges? What should the military expect after the amendments to the criminal law and the introduction of command responsibility? 01.11.24 14:56 5 635 22

New scandal with prosecutors: Head of Cherkasy Prosecutor’s Office Shevtsova receives pension amounting to 785,000 at age of 42 Even after the dismissal of Khmelnytskyi Regional Prosecutor Oleksii Oliinyk, the scandal over prosecutors’ pensions has not subsided. 21.10.24 22:00 108 589 247

Infantryman Vadym Panashchenko: "It was easier in 2022. Now Russians have lot of ’eyes’ and they fly not in dozens, but in hundreds" In the spring of 2022, Vadym Panashchenko, the commander of the 5th Slobozhanska Brigade, defended Kharkiv region, and in the fall he took part in a counter-offensive operation to liberate the occupied territories. Now he is fighting in Donetsk region. And he has seen with his own eyes how the enemy’s tactics have changed in the most difficult areas of the front over the past few years. 14.10.24 15:28 5 492 2

Why should military be judged by military? In addition to the military police, Ukraine may also have specialized judges who would hear cases involving the military. MPs are currently discussing a bill and, as an alternative, the idea of creating separate military courts. Moreover, such courts existed in Ukraine until 2010, when Yanukovych decided to liquidate them. 02.10.24 13:45 7 314 18

Combat medic Ivan Kutsyn: "Engineers, sappers, medics and snipers are priority targets for Russians because so many lives depend on them. They are trying to destroy us" He is one of those who had to visit the most difficult areas of the frontline. That’s why I don’t ask him about war fatigue, but only about what helps him to keep going. What prevents a combat medic from losing his humanity towards the enemy, because he also has to provide medical care to prisoners of war. 25.09.24 13:28 4 685 3 Previously in trend: War

National Guard soldier Oleksii Nazarov: "Residents of Izium who were favorable to occupation authorities had access to certain "benefits", water was one of them. Others had to go to streams 5-6 kms away to get water." He falls in love so much with Donetsk region, where he worked and lived for many years. And to protect his native land, he twice voluntarily joined the Defense Forces. The first time was in 2015, and the second time was during the full-scale Russian offensive. 26.08.24 17:51 7 052 6 Previously in trend: War

Crimes without statute of limitations and consequences for military. What will ratification of Rome Statute change? Ukraine signed the Rome Statute on 20 January 2000, but has not yet ratified it. 21.08.24 11:48 8 184 16

Polygraph for fraudsters. How scammers "make money" on war victims and why they test each other on polygraph Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the crime rate in Ukraine has dropped rapidly, but fraudsters have not only recovered quickly and diversified their schemes and approaches. Both civilians and military personnel are among their victims. 19.08.24 18:56 9 119 5

Prosecutor Yuliia Malashych: "We filed appeal as we insist that Verbytskyi was actually murdered" Oleksandr Volkov, who was accused of involvement in the abduction, torture and murder of Yurii Verbytskyi, as well as the abduction and torture of Ihor Lutsenko during the Revolution of Dignity, has been released from custody. 10.08.24 13:20 9 748 19 Previously in trend: Investigation of crimes against Maidan

"Military police has three kinds of enemies: amateurs, Russian agents of influence, and idealists detached from reality", – Illia Kostin Commissioner of the Ministry of Defense for Military Police Illia Kostin on difficulties with the adoption of the draft law on military police and ways to solve the problems of creating a military police. 02.08.24 09:10 12 204 50

"Fraudsters see post on social media that person is looking for missing soldier and take advantage of it" Commissioner for Missing Persons Artur Dobroserdov How to find a soldier who does not get in touch? What should you do if unknown people respond to your post on social media and blackmail you into creating unbearable conditions for your son or husband in captivity? What to do if you cannot find your friends who lived in the house that was hit by a Russian missile? Is it possible to find children in Russia who were forcibly taken there and their surname changed? 01.08.24 13:46 3 844 4

Deputy Minister of Justice Olena Vysotska: "Period for which convict concludes contract with Armed Forces cannot be less than end of martial law. This does not depend on served sentence." More than five thousand convicts have written applications to allow them to serve in the army, and more than half of them have already received a favorable court decision. 17.07.24 17:34 11 499 20

Special Operations Forces Soldier Vladyslav Kurysko: "After being wounded, I wanted to die. I told guys: "Bury me somewhere here". The severe injury that he received in Klishchiivka radically changed the life of the soldier of the 210th Separate Special Operations Battalion BERLINGO, nicknamed Ganibal. It resulted in complete paralysis and doctors gave him a very disappointing prognosis. Recalling this period, he says he did not want to live. 03.07.24 20:20 10 522 8 Previously in trend: War

Lawyer Liudmyla Kusa: Investigation said that it would interrogate Zaluzhnyi in Chervinskyi’s case, but this has not been done in year Neither the press nor the public representatives who came from different regions of the country to Kropyvnytskyi to support him will be allowed to attend the court hearings in the high-profile case of SOF colonel and ex-intelligence officer Roman Chervinskyi, as the panel of judges decided to consider the case in camera. 24.06.24 16:46 6 592 10

Maksym Bilousenko, AFU sergeant: "They are not interested in rebuilding destroyed towns and villages. Due to someone’s sick imagination, they just want to get territory, and it will be "dead zone" I met Maksym Bilousenko long before the full-scale war, when he was working at the State Bureau of Investigation. Back then, we mostly talked about crimes committed by top officials. Now we are talking about the horrors committed by the Russian military on our land. Because now he is serving as a member of the 135th battalion of the 114th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade and sees it all with his own eyes. 19.06.24 17:12 5 091 5 Previously in trend: War

"When political relations between local government and Presidential Office are tense, we can immediately see it in statistics of criminal proceedings," Dmytro Bilotserkovets After the Verkhovna Rada created a Temporary Special Commission on the effectiveness of the authorities in Kyiv, Kyiv City Council members responded by creating their own Temporary Control Commission on the interaction of local governments with the central government. It was headed by Dmytro Bilotserkovets, co-chair of the UDAR (Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform) faction and a member of the Kyiv City Council’s committees on budget and socio-economic development. 17.06.24 18:43 146 983 16

New law on mobilisation: questions and answers. PART 2 The people who have been defending the country for more than two years were expecting at least clear rules on demobilisation, rotations and leave from the new law on mobilisation. Unfortunately, it does not mention demobilisation at all. However, the MPs did provide for some changes regarding the grounds for dismissal from service. 23.05.24 11:17 18 931 15 Previously in trend: War

Oleh Kiper, head of Odessa RMA: "Now it is impossible to store 20-50 thousand tons of grain in warehouse to load it when ship arrives. Everything works right off bat, on move, under fire, under air raid alerts." How do the ports of Greater Odesa operate under constant shelling? Is it possible to develop sea transportation in wartime? Why do shadow grain export schemes still exist despite the government’s declared fight against them? How is the mobilization process going against the backdrop of Russia’s new offensive and what threats are currently facing the Odesa region? 20.05.24 21:21 225 570 11

New law on mobilization came into force: questions and answers Although the new mobilization law gives men time to update their records, it does not abolish the service of draft notices or document checks on the streets and in public places. In addition, it increases liability for those liable for military service and their employers. There are also a number of innovations for the military. 21.05.24 18:50 21 037 34

"My testimony has not changed, and theirs are constantly changing". What became known in Chervinskyi’s case during appeal consideration During the hearing of the Kropyvnytskyi Court of Appeal, Chervinskyi’s lawyers stated that they were not only appealing the ruling of the first instance court but also seeking the opening of criminal proceedings, as they believe that the composition of the court that issued this ruling was determined as a result of manipulations with the automatic case distribution system. 09.05.24 21:00 8 086 18

Chervinskyi’s case: why do judges not want to see victims in court? The case of SOF Colonel, ex-Intelligence Officer Roman Chervinskyi is once again at the center of public attention. After the materials were transferred to the Kirovohrad District Court, his detention was extended not during an open hearing that lasted three days in a row, but without the participation of his lawyers and behind closed doors, when the court’s working day was formally over. 02.05.24 22:54 12 340 14

Moratorium on pressure: how personal responsibility of investigators and prosecutors can protect business Businesses are asking the authorities to extend the moratorium on procedural actions of law enforcement agencies that can stop business activities. For the three months that the moratorium was in effect, introduced on the basis of the NSDC decision, there have been no systemic changes that would help reduce pressure from law enforcement. 01.05.24 19:40 4 713 9

National Guard soldier Ivan Maliarenko: "FPV drone exploded near me. In front of me was comrade whom I was trying to cover. I thought at that moment: "I’m already toast, but he should live." When full-scale war began, Ivan Maliarenko worked as a physical education teacher, educator, and instructor of the Rukopash Spas (Savior) (Ukrainian national sport that has its origins in the Cossack martial art of Spas (Savior) - ed. note). at the Zaporizhzhia Cossack Lyceum boarding school. At the end of February 2022, he joined the National Guard and later became a platoon commander. 22.04.24 19:22 10 697 5 Previously in trend: War

Border guard Volodymyr Zvonskyi: "There was situation when they dropped off their infantry from armoured personnel carrier to go for assault. They were hit by ours, they ran back, their APC turned around and shot them." Volodymyr Zvonskyi is one of those business representatives who had to learn military science during a full-scale war, fighting in the Donetsk sector. Therefore, the 11th Border Guard Detachment soldier was mainly discussed how to quickly adapt for those who have not served before, how to overcome fears and whether it is worth planning for the future without knowing when this war will end. 10.04.24 12:13 15 003 2 Previously in trend: War

Lawyer Kostiantyn Hloba: "Keeping Roman Chervinskyi in custody is legal nonsense" The Supreme Court has ruled that the transfer of Special Operations Forces officer Roman Chervinskyi to the Donetsk region was illegal, as volunteer fighters with three dependent children have the right to serve at their place of residence. But so far, according to his lawyers, this has not affected the State Bureau of Investigation, which continues to investigate the proceedings on the ex-intelligence officer’s alleged absence without official leave. In turn, Chervinskyi’s lawyers emphasize that this decision of the highest court proves that there is no risk, which prosecutors cite in court hearings in another case in which he is a suspect - regarding the rocket attack on the Kanatove airport - when it comes to a preventive measure. 19.03.24 10:15 21 751 30

He resigned from his executive position in police and went to fight at front. In memory of commander of "Tsunami" regiment Oleksandr Hostishchev The commander of the Tsunami regiment, Oleksandr Hostishchev, died on 15 March 2024 as a result of a missile attack on Odesa by Russian troops. 16.03.24 10:45 15 968 13

Vladyslav Hornod, explosives expert: "They make decoys to distract people. If person sees mines laid out, he thinks that no one bothered to bury them here." Vladyslav Hornod is a police explosives expert who was one of the first to go to de-mining the de-occupied territories, first in Kyiv and then in Kharkiv regions as part of the combined units. 11.03.24 08:10 10 896 1 Previously in trend: War

Petro Pas, fire support company commander: "If you burn first vehicle, they start to panic. They start turning around, hitting mines, exploding, burning." Recalling the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion, my interlocutor says that he left home at six in the morning to look for like-minded people and weapons because he had to defend Kyiv. And when the Russians were knocked out of the Kyiv region, he went to the TCR (Territorial Centre for Recruitment - ed.note) himself, because he believed he should be at the front. Since then, he has been fighting in the Svoboda (Freedom - ed. note) battalion. 27.02.24 09:45 7 235 4 Previously in trend: War

Marharyta Omelianenko: "Russians have started using new tactics. They are digging tunnels in rear to suddenly break out somewhere behind front lines and encircle infantry." Back in 2014, she took up arms for the first time to defend the country, and after postponing her dissertation, she went to the east. The position held by the unit she joined was near the Donetsk airport. Her first battle took place there. 23.02.24 10:00 18 822 41 Previously in trend: War

Maksym Hryshchuk: "They are advancing on corpses of their fighters, on remnants of previous assault groups, which are almost never taken away" We met Maksym Hryshchuk before the full-scale phase of the war, when he was acting as the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office. And when we spoke in the spring of 2022, he was already defending Kyiv from the enemy, serving as a grenade launcher platoon commander. Later, I learned that he went to fight in Kharkiv region, participated in the liberation of Kherson region, where he continues to defend our country, already commanding a fire support company of the 112th Territorial Defense Brigade. 14.02.24 12:10 12 424 6

Maksym Tsutskiridze, First Deputy Head of National Police: "Vast majority of men who evade mobilization, will receive suspended sentences. They are still subject to mobilization." Who is behind the attack on the apartment of journalist Yurii Nikolov? What caused the deaths of former Deputy Prosecutor General Olha Kolinko and her daughter? Have the perpetrators of the attempted assassination of Serhii Shefir, the first aide to the president and former business partner of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, been identified? What crimes are currently being ordered through telegram channels? Why do courts sentence mobilization evaders to suspended sentences and when do they receive summonses? What amount of compensation can a person who has lost his or her property during a missile attack expect, and do law enforcement officers identify those responsible for such attacks? 13.02.24 08:00 30 458 46

Wife of captured National Guard officer Valeriy Lutchenko: Many people do not even know that 103 Chernobyl NPP defenders are still in captivity She has been fighting for almost two years to get her husband, a National Guard officer who defended the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on the first day of the full-scale Russian attack, back from captivity. During this time, her father, who was the commander of a reconnaissance platoon and fought in Donbas, was seriously wounded and died in hospital, right in front of her. So when we talked to Valeriya Lutchenko, we talked about both of them - the most important people in her life. 17.01.24 10:25 10 880 57 Previously in trend: War

Chief Justice of Supreme Court Stanislav Kravchenko: When regular checks are introduced, certain number of judges resign Over the past two years, during the full-scale phase of the war, the Supreme Court has repeatedly been at the epicenter of high-profile scandals. First, it was the dismissal of Judge Bohdan Lviv, after which, at the request of the then-Chairman of the Court, Vsevolod Kniazev, the remaining judges had to be checked for Russian citizenship. Later, it was a corruption scandal and the detention of Kniazev himself. 12.01.24 12:45 9 721 41

Every action of Russians who take and hold civilians can be determined as crime – prosecutor Iryna Didenko Civilians cannot be taken prisoner because it is a violation of international humanitarian law, but people are not only detained in the occupied territories and taken to Russia, they are also tortured. According to the data provided by civil society organizations, we are talking about thousands of people. 02.01.24 12:00 4 695 13

Mobilization in new way: what is hidden behind most scandalous norms and what consequences have they already had There is no doubt that mobilization is needed, but whether it will be possible to ensure it through the draft laws submitted by the Cabinet of Ministers is a big question. First, a number of the proposed norms have outraged society and caused criticism not only from people’s deputies but also from the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights. Secondly, after the registration of one of the documents, on which the working group had been elaborating for quite some time, it turned out that the Ministry of Finance did not know where to get the money to continue mobilization. 29.12.23 18:20 48 798 109 Previously in trend: War

Chairman of DEJURE Foundation Mykhailo Zhernakov: with such Supreme Court, we will not get into EU, we will not survive simply as state Following the corruption scandals in the Supreme Court and the Kyiv Court of Appeal, judicial reform has once again become the focus of public attention. Moreover, on the one hand, the Verkhovna Rada is developing legislation that will change the procedures for selecting judges, and on the other hand, the renewed High Qualification Commission of Judges, together with the Public Integrity Council, is actively conducting qualification assessment of judges according to new common criteria. That is why we talked to Mykhailo Zhernakov, the head of the DEJURE Foundation, about cleansing the judicial system, vetting judges, including with regard to their citizenship of other countries, and a number of high-profile cases where judges were suspected. 14.12.23 10:30 10 624 39

For making mistake in declaration - to jail. Why do deputies want to strengthen Bureau of Economic Security’s powers? The criminalization of the so-called commodity smuggling, which currently provides for administrative liability, has caused not just a wide response. In fact, all major organizations representing Ukrainian, European, and American businesses in Ukraine have made public statements emphasizing that it is impossible to adopt draft law No. 5420 in the wording proposed by the deputies. 12.12.23 23:12 8 035 9

Masi Naiiem: "Information about how military personnel are treated has great impact on attitudes towards mobilization and, consequently, on defense capabilities" Recently, five non-governmental organizations, including the human rights organization "Pryntsyp (Principle-ed.)," presented a new concept of veterans’ policy. So we talked with Masi Naiiem, a soldier and co-founder of this organization, about how it can be implemented so that the military, upon returning from the front, can receive quality rehabilitation and psychological assistance, and a multidisciplinary team can immediately work with the wounded in the hospital, whose specialists would think ahead not only about surgical intervention but also about further prosthetics, if necessary. 06.12.23 18:46 15 932 0

Infantryman Viktor Chonhovai: "If I didn’t have a family, I would sit on the wheelchair in which I move, attach another one behind me, put ammunition in it, take a rifle and follow my commander." He joined the army after his father to protect him. He has fought in most areas. During the counteroffensive in the Zaporozhzhia direction, he was seriously wounded. At that time, he and his comrades had to gain a foothold in the positions they had recently recaptured from the enemy. But they didn’t. The occupiers began to drop grenades from the drone. One of them fell right on Viktor’s feet. 27.11.23 21:24 30 009 7 Previously in trend: War

Deputy Minister of Justice Irina Mudra: If Russia thinks that it will sign a settlement agreement without reparations - will not sign. Ukraine will never go for it EU leaders have approved a plan to use the proceeds of frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine. We asked Deputy Minister of Justice Iryna Mudra what the mechanism for implementing this plan might be, what assets are involved, and why only the profits are being transferred to us, and not all frozen and confiscated Russian assets. 24.11.23 12:26 16 493 69

Economic protests or Russia’s special operation: who is really behind the border blockade The blockade on the Polish-Ukrainian border has been going on for more than two weeks, which has led to economic and human losses. While the Polish prosecutor’s office is studying the circumstances of the death of one of the Ukrainian drivers, the overall situation is escalating. Because now neither the humanitarian cargoes so necessary for Ukraine nor fuel trucks can pass. There are also claims that a group of farmers may join the carriers. 22.11.23 23:45 17 284 47

"If it turns out with Chervinskyi not to use combat immunity, it will work with the rest," - lawyer Serhii Lysenko After the American edition of The Washington Post and the German media Der Spiegel published an article in which, citing their own anonymous sources, they claim that the "coordinator" of sabotage on the Russian Nord Stream gas pipelines was allegedly a former intelligence officer and ex-acting commander of one of the SOF (Special Operations Forces) units, Roman Chervinskyi, who is now a suspect in the case of Russia’s attack on the airfield,"Kanatove" drome, we talked to his lawyer Serhii Lysenko. 20.11.23 23:30 20 391 21

Anna Neistat: "Same thing happened in Chechnya. For them, there were no peaceful residents. For them, any woman was sniper, and any man was terrorist." Recently, the George and Amal Clooney Foundation for Justice sent three submissions to the German Federal Prosecutor’s Office asking them to investigate Russian crimes committed in Ukraine. The Foundation has been documenting Russia’s crimes since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. 28.10.23 11:30 10 611 1

Military chaplain Kateryna Semenyuk: "One woman from Izyum told what happened during occupation and said: "I don’t believe that even maniac could do such thing. Demons did it" Recalling the first day of Russia’s full-scale invasion, my interlocutor says that she gave birth to her son just a couple of hours after the Russians launched the first missiles. But the very next day, staying with the child in the basement of the hospital, which served as a bomb shelter, she arranged for the arrival of trucks with humanitarian aid by phone. This is how the mother of five first became a volunteer and later joined the military chaplaincy corps. 23.10.23 16:35 23 767 40 Previously in trend: War

Ecocide from occupiers: will Russia pay for biggest man-made disaster during war After the explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, the Russians are once again trying to convince the world that they have nothing to do with the largest act of ecocide during the full-scale invasion and, accordingly, are not just absolving themselves of any responsibility, but are trying to shift it to Ukraine. 07.06.23 15:00 7 895 9

Mark Ellis: We need tribunal to begin its work before war is over Mark Ellis is one of those who knows from practice how international tribunals work and what needs to be done to hold the Russian Federation’s political leadership accountable for the crime of aggression. 13.03.23 13:14 4 948 6

Hero of Ukraine, policeman Oleg Lakusta: It is necessary to train not only policemen, but everyone. Everyone should be ready to defend Ukraine Colonel Oleg Lakusta was the first among the police officers who, at the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, defended our country and was awarded the highest state award - the title of Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the "Golden Star". 01.03.23 08:10 11 273 14