The Architecture of Justice in Ukraine: From Documenting International Crimes to Accountability
Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Publication (Outlet/Website): Diplomatic Legal Hub
Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2026/05/27
“On May 26, 2026, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Media Center Ukraine hosted a panel discussion titled ‘The Architecture of Justice in Ukraine: From Documenting International Crimes to Accountability,’ (“Архітектура правосуддя в Україні: від документування міжнародних злочинів до підзвітності”) moderated by Scott Douglas Jacobsen, coordinator of Diplomatic Legal Hub.
The event brought together leading Ukrainian human rights advocates, legal analysts, and civil society researchers to examine one of the central challenges facing Ukraine and the international legal community today: how to transform the vast documentation of Russian international crimes into real accountability, reparations, and victim-centred justice.
The discussion was held at Media Center Ukraine in central Kyiv and moderated by Scott Douglas Jacobsen, coordinator of Diplomatic Legal Hub and independent journalist specializing in international law, war crimes documentation, and human rights.
The panel featured:
- Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties;
- Roman Koval, Head of Research at Truth Hounds;
- Hanna Rassamakhina, Head of the “War and Justice” Department at the Media Initiative for Human Rights.
The conversation focused on several interconnected themes:
- documentation of international crimes and human rights violations;
- justice mechanisms for civilians, prisoners of war, torture survivors, missing persons, and deported children;
- reparations and compensation frameworks;
- institutional cooperation between civil society organizations and international legal institutions;
- the role of evidence verification and documentation standards in future accountability processes.
Opening the discussion, Scott Douglas Jacobsen emphasized that Ukraine has already accumulated one of the largest bodies of war crimes documentation in modern history. However, the central issue is no longer simply collecting evidence, but organizing, verifying, prioritizing, and adapting this material into legally admissible forms capable of supporting international courts, reparations systems, historical memory initiatives, and future accountability mechanisms.
Particular attention was devoted to the question of victim-centred justice.
Hanna Rassamakhina noted that traditional criminal proceedings alone may not be sufficient in the face of tens of thousands of documented international crimes. According to her, justice must also include preservation of victims’ stories, public recognition, memorialization, and systematic recording of abuses, especially in situations where formal court decisions may take years or remain incomplete.
Roman Koval discussed the broader accountability ecosystem and emphasized that responsibility for international crimes extends beyond direct perpetrators. Referring to investigations conducted by Truth Hounds into drone attacks, strikes on emergency responders, and attacks against civilians, he stressed the importance of documenting command responsibility, institutional involvement, and enabling structures behind violations of international humanitarian law.
Oleksandra Romantsova highlighted that Ukraine’s struggle for justice began long before the full-scale invasion of 2022 and dates back to the beginning of Russian aggression in 2014. According to her, the war represents a confrontation between democratic values and authoritarian violence, between human dignity and systematic denial of human rights.
Romantsova argued that Ukraine requires several interconnected levels of justice:
- courtroom justice;
- personal justice for victims and survivors;
- historical justice and preservation of truth.
She also emphasized the need for a new international security architecture grounded in accountability, rule of law, and human rights protections.
The panel additionally addressed long-term reparations mechanisms and the future international compensation framework for Ukraine.
Participants discussed current efforts surrounding the Register of Damage for Ukraine and broader international attempts to establish compensation mechanisms capable of addressing the immense human, economic, and social losses caused by Russian aggression.
Throughout the discussion, participants repeatedly returned to the issue of documentation standards and evidence admissibility, particularly regarding digital evidence, open-source intelligence (OSINT), and the practical challenges of transforming large-scale documentation into effective legal cases.
The event continued an ongoing public dialogue initiated by Diplomatic Legal Hub and partner organizations regarding international justice, accountability, war crimes investigations, and the future legal architecture required to respond to contemporary conflicts.
The discussion also reflected broader conversations taking place within Ukrainian civil society concerning adaptation of international standards, including the Berkeley Protocol, to the realities of documenting war crimes during large-scale armed conflict.
Diplomatic Legal Hub expresses gratitude to Hanna Rassamakhina, Roman Koval, Oleksandra Romantsova, and the entire team at Media Center Ukraine for their participation and contribution to the discussion.
Video Recordings
Ukrainian version:
English version:
References
- Media Center Ukraine. (2026, May 26). The architecture of justice in Ukraine: From documenting international crimes to accountability [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dsSbyrRBOU
- Jacobsen, S. D. (2026, March 11). Documenting terror: Truth Hounds on Russia’s war against civilians. International Policy Digest.
https://intpolicydigest.org/documenting-terror-truth-hounds-on-russia-s-war-against-civilians/ - Diplomatic Legal Hub. (2026, April 23). Ukraine needs a separate methodology for recording war crimes by journalists.
https://dlh.org.ua/2026/04/23/ukrayina-potrebuye-okremoyi-metodologiyi-fiksatsiyi-voyennyh-zlochyniv-zhurnalistamy/ - Ukrainian National Lobbyists Association. (2026, May 23). Experts: Berkeley Protocol remains a key international standard for documenting war crimes, but needs to be adapted to modern challenges.
https://unla.org.ua/en/2026/05/experts-berkeley-protocol-remains-a-key-international-standard-for-documenting-war-crimes-but-needs-to-be-adapted-to-modern-challenges/ - Register of Damage for Ukraine. Council of Europe.
https://rd4u.coe.int/en/
Scott Douglas Jacobsen is a Diplomatic Legal Hub Coordinator, independent journalist, publisher, and researcher specializing in international law, human rights, war crimes documentation, and accountability mechanisms. He is the Founder and Publisher of In-Sight Publishing and Editor-in-Chief of In-Sight: Interviews.
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