Lev Kishakevich, a judge of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court, who was selected as Ukraine’s primary candidate for election as a judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC) following a competitive selection process, does not possess the required proficiency in the ICC’s working languages—French and English—according to an ICC document.
A report by the Advisory Committee on the Nomination of Judges, dated August 5, 2026, and posted on the ICC website, notes in particular that the Rome Statute requires candidates for judgeship to be fluent in the ICC’s working languages, and that the candidate from Ukraine does not speak French and does not possess the required level of English to perform the duties of a judge of the Court.
“The Committee regrets that the candidate’s language skills, as demonstrated during the interview, did not allow the Committee to properly assess his qualifications and suitability for the position in accordance with Article 36 of the Rome Statute,” the document states.
The Committee concluded that “the candidate does not meet the qualification requirements for appointment as a judge of the International Criminal Court.”
According to the ICC’s statement, the overall assessment of the candidate’s readiness for the position of judge was therefore incomplete due to the candidate’s language limitations.
“The Committee determined that the candidate’s language limitations would prevent him from making an immediate contribution to the work of the Court,” the document notes.
The “Interfax-Ukraine” news agency contacted the Supreme Court requesting comment on this situation.
On January 1, 2025, Ukraine officially became the 125th State Party to the Rome Statute of the ICC. Thus, in accordance with the Statute, Ukraine, like every State Party, may nominate one candidate to the ICC.
As reported by the Supreme Court, on April 8, 2026, the selection committee responsible for choosing Ukraine’s candidate for election as an ICC judge—based on the results of interviews with the candidates held on March 24–26—selected Ukraine’s primary candidate for election as an ICC judge. That candidate is Lev Kishakevich, a judge of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court.
Source: https://asp.icc-cpi.int/sites/default/files/asp_docs/Report%20ACN.05Aug26.1000.pdf
https://asp.icc-cpi.int/sessions/documentation/25th-session#documentation
The publication Lenta.UA reported that on March 4, 2022, Denis Mandichev, a judge of the Commercial Court of Kyiv, was removed from military registration due to health reasons based on the conclusion of a military medical commission.
The publication states that the decision was made by the Holosiivskyi District Military Registration and Enlistment Office in Kyiv, and the reason given was, in particular, a diagnosis of stage III hypertension in accordance with the list of diseases approved by order of the Ministry of Defense.
Lenta.UA also notes that, despite his exclusion from military service, Mandychev continues to work in court and questions the validity of the Military Medical Commission’s conclusions, calling on the competent authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding the decision.
According to information on the website of the Economic Court of Kyiv, Denis Mandychev holds the position of deputy chairman of the court.
No official comments from the court or the TCC and SP regarding the statements made in the publication were published in open sources at the time of preparation of this report.
