Analyses and commentary
This section of the Hub showcases materials developed over several years through various projects: ‘Restoring Dignity and Justice in Ukraine' consortium programme (2023-2025), and the MATRA project ‘Strengthening Ukraine’s Capacity to Investigate and Prosecute International Crimes’ (2020-2024).
The materials focus on ensuring accountability for conflict-related crimes in Ukraine and include handbooks, reports, manuals, guides, opinion articles, commentary, podcasts, and lectures. All aim to support key stakeholders by contextualising accountability processes and enhancing their expertise. The following resources have been developed by the Asser Institute, Global Rights Compliance (GRC) and its partners within the frameworks of the projects mentioned above:
1. Legal resources centred on international criminal law (ICL) and international humanitarian law (IHL):
- The Asser Institute (Restoring Dignity and Justice in Ukraine Project), “Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine: Legal assessment and Policy Recommendations” [June 2025];
- The Asser Institute (Restoring Dignity and Justice in Ukraine Project), “Strategic Report: Supporting Defence Counsel in Conflict-Related Criminal Cases in Ukraine”, [June 2025];
- Global Rights Compliance (Restoring Dignity and Justice in Ukraine Project), “Practitioners’ Handbook on the Use of Extraterritorial and Universal Jurisdiction to Pursue Accountability for International Crimes Committed in Ukraine”, [June 2025];
- The Asser Institute (Restoring Dignity and Justice in Ukraine Project), “Legislation on Criminal Responsibility for International Crimes in Ukraine: Assessment of Draft Law 11538 (Asser Policy Brief)”, [February 2025];
- The Asser Institute (MATRA-Ukraine Project), “Jurisprudence of international, regional and third-state courts related to the conflict in Ukraine”, [2025];
- IUSTICOM (Restoring Dignity and Justice in Ukraine Project), “Glossary of legal terms relevant to international criminal justice”, (translated to Ukrainian language), [October 2024];
- The Asser Institute (Restoring Dignity and Justice in Ukraine Project), “Expert analysis of pre-‘Draft Law of Ukraine on Criminal Liability for International Crimes of 20 May 2024”, [February 2024];
- Global Rights Compliance (MATRA-Ukraine Project), UpRights, and USAID Justice for All Activity, “Benchbook on the Adjudication of International Crimes”, [June 2023];
- Global Rights Compliance (MATRA-Ukraine Project), “Basic Investigative Standards Manual” and “Basic Investigative Standards Guides”, [May 2023];
- Global Rights Compliance and the Asser Institute (MATRA-Ukraine Project), “Quicksheet summary: The Enforcement of International Humanitarian Law in Ukraine (updated)”, [June 2022];
- Global Rights Compliance (MATRA-Ukraine Project), “The Enforcement of International Humanitarian Law in Ukraine (updated)”, [January 2022];
- Karolina Aksamitowska (MATRA-Ukraine Project), “War Crimes Units: Legislative, Organisational and Technical Lessons”, [September 2021];
- Global Rights Compliance and the Asser Institute (MATRA-Ukraine Project), “Quicksheet summary: 'Ukraine and the International Criminal Court (updated)”, [September 2021];
- Global Rights Compliance and the Asser Institute (MATRA-Ukraine Project), “Quicksheet summary: The Domestic Implementation of International Humanitarian Law in Ukraine (updated)”, [August 2021];
- Global Rights Compliance (MATRA-Ukraine Project), “Ukraine and the International Criminal Court (updated)”, [April 2021];
- Global Rights Compliance (MATRA-Ukraine Project), “The Domestic Implementation of International Humanitarian Law in Ukraine (updated)”, [September 2020];
1.1. Resources focused on the right to a fair trial/procedural issues:
- The Asser Institute (Restoring Dignity and Justice in Ukraine Project), “Handbook for Legal Professionals in Ukraine: Ensuring the Fairness of Conflict-Related Trials” [June 2025];
- The Asser Institute (MATRA-Ukraine Project), “Fair Trial Indicators: Monitoring Conflict-related Criminal Trials”, [November 2024];
1.2. Materials related to matters of Court communication:
- IUSTICOM (Restoring Dignity and Justice in Ukraine Project), “CEPEJ Guide to Media and Public Communication for Courts and Prosecutor’s Offices”, (translated to Ukrainian language), [2025];
- Olga Kavran (MATRA-Ukraine Project), “Communicating Justice: Lessons from International and National Courts and Prosecution Authorities Dealing with International Crimes”, [June 2022];
2. Opinion articles and blogposts:
- Hoar Habrelian and Julia Tétrault-Provencher, “Balancing the Scales: Survivors’ Needs and Rights and Criminal Accountability in Ukraine”, (Just Security), [October 2025];
- Gabriela Radu, “Is Ukraine Finally Breaking Its 24-Year International Criminal Court Commitment Phobia?”, (Asser Institute), [September 2024];
- James P. Sexton and Victoria Kerr, “EU Support to Ukraine through Windfall Profits: Reparative Value, International Law, and Future Pathways”, (Articles of War), [September 2024];
- Maksym Vishchyk and Jeremy Pizzi, “Compromises on Territory, Legal Order, and World Peace: The Fate of International Law Lies on Ukraine’s Borders”, (Just Security), [October 2023];
- Maksym Vishchyk, “Trials of Ukrainian Prisoners of War in Russia: Decay of the Combatant’s Immunity”, (Just Security), [August 2023];
- James P. Sexton and David Kinnecome, “Enforcing Sanctions Violations to Fund the Reconstruction of Ukraine”, (EJIL: Talk!), [June 2023];
- Victoria Kerr, “Q&A: Russia’s war and the power of international law”, (Clingendael Spectator), [October 2022];
- Anna Mykytenko and Maksym Vichchyk, “All Our Hope Is in the Famine”: Why an Investigation into Starvation Crimes in Ukraine Is Urgently Needed”, (OpinioJuris), [August 2022];
- Victoria Kerr and Sofia Stolk, “Assembling the Pieces: The Accountability Puzzle for International Crimes in Ukraine”, in Kramer, D., Petrić, D., Kerr, V., Stolk, S. and Vos, R., 2022 War In Ukraine: Politics, Law and Identity, (Amsterdam Law Forum), [May 2022];
- Victoria Kerr, “Debunking the Role of International Law in the Ukrainian Conflict”, (OpinioJuris), [March 2022];
- Florent Beurret and James P. Sexton, “The Russian invasion of Ukraine: International legal implications”, (Asser Institute), [March 2022];
- Maksym Vishchyk and Anastasiia Moiseieva, “Crimean Tatars: Eight Years of Anything but Marginal Resistance”, (EJIL: Talk!), [March 2022];
- Maksym Vishchyk, “Insight from Ukraine: Revitalizing Belief in International Law”, (Just Security), [March 2022];
- Global Rights Compliance, “International Law and Defining Russia’s Involvement in Crimea and Donbas”, [February 2022];
3. Supporting materials:
- Global Rights Compliance (Restoring Dignity and Justice in Ukraine Project), “Ukraine Universal Jurisdiction Map”, [June 2025];
- Global Rights Compliance (MATRA-Ukraine Project), “GRC launches the BIS-KIT app”, [February 2024];
There exist additional materials issued by various international organisations (e.g., United Nations, Council of Europe, etc), non-governmental organisations (NGO) and other key actors concerning the russian war against Ukraine, including reports, articles, case studies, and other relevant documents, which may prove beneficial to the Ukrainian judiciary:
4. Legal resources produced by international organisations between (2024-2025):
- Council of Europe, Commissioner for Human Rights, “Memorandum on human rights elements for peace in Ukraine”, [July 2025];
- Council of Europe, Parliamentary Assembly, Report “Legal and human rights aspects of the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine”, [June 2025];
- United Nations, Office of the High Commissioner, “Report on the Human Rights situation in Ukraine 1 December 2024 – 31 May 2025”, [June 2025];
- Council of Europe, Report by the Secretary General, “Three years of Russia's war of aggression - Council of Europe action in support of Ukraine”, [February 2025];
- Council of Europe, “Criminal proceedings in absentia: Comparative study of legislation and practices in selected member states of the Council of Europe”, [September 2024];
- UNESCO, "Global toolkit for judicial actors: international legal standards on freedom of expression, access to information and safety of journalists", [2021];
5. Materials issued by other actors:
- Global Rights Compliance, “Legal Roadmap Applicable to the System of Russification of Children in the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine through Militarisation and Indoctrination”, [September 2025];
- Global Rights Compliance and The Reckoning Project, “Manufacturing Impunity: Russian information operations in Ukraine, Russia’s use of information alibis and how they materially contribute to the planning, execution and cover-up of international crimes”, [May 2025];
- Global Rights Compliance, “Harvesting Conflict: Unlawful Attacks against grain and related infrastructure in the Odesa Oblast”, [May 2025];
- USAID Justice for All Activity, International Bar Association, Free Legal Aid and Ukrainian Bar Association, “Defense Counsel Handbook: A Guide for Ukrainian Lawyers Practicing in Domestic War Crimes Cases”, [April 2025];
- Global Rights Compliance, “Insights from the Roundtable: SGBC Victim’s Pathway Through the Criminal Process – Ukraine and Best Practices”, [October 2024];
- Ukrainian Bar Association, “Report on the results of the second phase of the project: The Trial Monitoring in war crimes cases”, [June 2024];
- ULAG, “Needs Assessment of Ukraine’s Justice System: Delivering Meaningful Justice to the Victims and Survivors of the Armed Conflict”, [June 2024];
- Ukrainian Bar Association, “Report on the results of the project: The Trial Monitoring in war crimes cases”, [December 2023];
- Global Rights Compliance, "International Law and Defining Russia’s Involvement in Crimea and Donbas" [February 2022];
- Global Rights Compliance, “Legal (Un)Certainty of Occupation: Crimea and Donbas”, [June 2021];

