“Needs Assessment of Ukraine’s Justice System” Report — Early 2026 Update

This report is a living tool that analyses the state of the justice system as it evolves. We aim for the Needs Assessment to provide a comprehensive picture of the key gaps and to support those working in the field toward building a comprehensive justice architecture — from individual legislative changes to the strategic reconceptualisation of how justice mechanisms operate.

This update includes revised recommendations and general context, with the report now covering the period through February 2026. Key additions include:

• the results of the work of the Interagency Working Group under the Office of the Prosecutor General on implementing the Rome Statute, including proposed amendments to provisions on the crime of aggression, war crimes, as well as investigative jurisdiction over these crimes;
• the new strategy for the prosecution of international crimes for 2026–2028, developed by the Office of the Prosecutor General;
• an expanded analysis of the application of criminal procedure rules in proceedings on conflict-related international crimes, including judicial approaches to expert opinions;
• new sections on the experience of other countries in harmonising national legislation with the Rome Statute;
• an expanded section on victim participation in justice processes, covering security challenges, support system needs, and international standards on victims’ legal representation;
• a new section on the defence of accused persons in war crimes proceedings, including in cases tried in absentia.

Alina Pavliuk, legal coordinator and analyst, and one of the report’s lead authors, highlights several trends reflected in the report:

“Among other things, we observe during this period more systematic work on harmonising Ukrainian legislation with international norms and implementing the Rome Statute, as well as increased attention to the work of defence lawyers from all actors. At the same time, there are still no signs of genuine political will to adopt these changes at the legislative level.”

The current online version with easy navigation is available at www.justice-needs-ukraine.report. An updated PDF version will be released in the next iteration.