Ukraine should establish a training center for its own experts at the International Criminal Court (ICC), according to Oleksiy Shevchuk, a partner at Barristers LLC.
“Ukraine must provide systematic expertise and professionals capable of working effectively within the ICC’s structure. Ukraine should establish a training center for experts to work in international judicial bodies, primarily the ICC, as international criminal law will be one of the defining areas of 21st-century politics,” he told Interfax-Ukraine.
As Shevchuk noted, the ICC currently needs a wide range of experts who can support its operations.
“There are positions for OSINT coordinators, language analysts, financial experts, evidence management specialists, and even cyber intelligence specialists. The Court is a massive organization. And for it to function, dozens of highly qualified specialists in various fields are needed. Unfortunately, there are very few such people in Ukraine. If we can find 10 people ready to start working in The Hague tomorrow—that would be an optimistic forecast,” he said.
At the same time, Shevchuk noted that Ukraine has a strong tradition of ECHR practice, but the ICC is a different world; it has a different procedural logic, a different role for evidence, and a different mechanism for gathering information.
“The Court requires practical skills in international criminal proceedings, an understanding of military operations, and language proficiency at the level of technical translation of international terminology. It is a highly specialized environment,” he added.
Commenting on steps toward establishing a training center for ICC specialists, Shevchuk said that such a center should have several areas of focus: a program for training practicing lawyers (investigators, prosecutors, attorneys), a program for training technical and analytical staff (OSINT specialists, evidence managers, translators, data auditors, etc.), and a program for language and ethics training adapted to The Hague standards.
“We have a strong academic base in Ukraine, but researchers also need a team capable of integrating into the court’s practical work tomorrow. Canada established the Canadian Centre for International Justice, which trains lawyers and analysts specifically for international tribunals. Ukraine needs something similar—a partnership between universities, government agencies, and the ICC itself. This could be a joint initiative of the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, academic institutions, and civil society organizations,” said Shevchuk.
“In the coming decades, the focus will definitely shift toward The Hague—and Ukraine needs real experts, not just symbolic ones. This is not a matter of prestige, but of competence: either we train our own specialists, or others will do it for us,” the lawyer concluded.
Barristers, ICC, LAWYER, specialist, training center, ШЕВЧУК
Ruslan Romanov, Head of the Prosecutors’ Council of Ukraine, said there is a targeted information campaign and attempts at manipulation surrounding the formation of the конкурс commission for selecting the leadership of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP). According to him, criticism of the appointment of certain members of the commission, including attorney Oleksii Shevchuk, is subjective and ignores legislative requirements.
He said this in an interview with the Judicial and Legal Gazette.
Romanov emphasized that Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko acted strictly within the law, and that any demands to cancel the appointments without legal grounds constitute direct interference with his independence.
According to the head of the Council, the selection procedure was as public as possible; however, civic activists and lawyers showed insufficient interest in participating in the competition. Within the установлен term, only four candidates submitted documents, including Oleksii Shevchuk. Romanov suggested that the low activity of the civic sector may be linked to fear of the need to declare assets and to assume real responsibility. He stressed that the law does not provide a mechanism for recalling a commission member due to media backlash, but only on clearly defined grounds such as a personal statement or health condition.
The scandal erupted after a number of leading civil society organizations (CPC, “AutoMaidan,” “DEJURE”) and media outlets called on the Prosecutor General to replace Oleksii Shevchuk. The Prosecutors’ Council warned that any незакон personnel changes would lead to lawsuits and would block the work of the commission for an indefinite period.
In response to questions from the public and the media about the process of forming the конкурс commission that selects candidates for administrative posts in the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP), the Prosecutors’ Council of Ukraine and the Prosecutor General explained the sequence of events and the procedure for actions by prosecution bodies.
Spokesman for the National Association of Advocates of Ukraine Oleksii Shevchuk stated that he and his family had received direct threats to their life and health related to his appointment as a member of the commission for selecting prosecutors of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP).
Diplomatic Legal Hub, a permanent consulting and legal center for foreign diplomatic institutions, businesses, and citizens, has been presented in Kyiv. It was created on the initiative of Barristers LLC in cooperation with Ukrainian lawyers. The platform is designed to provide continuous legal support to foreigners in Ukraine and reduce the administrative burden on embassies and companies, particularly in matters related to migration, criminal, economic, tax, and martial law issues.
Oleksiy Shevchuk, partner at Barristers and spokesperson for the Ukrainian National Bar Association (UNBA), emphasized that the hub will function as a practical mechanism for providing immediate assistance.
“Today we are presenting a platform where any representative of an embassy, foreign business, or foreign citizen can report their problem online 24/7 and receive appropriate support. Our team will use, among other things, universal jurisdiction tools to protect against persecution,” he said at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Wednesday.
According to Shevchuk, foreign citizens often remain without adequate state protection in wartime, so the team’s task is to provide them with fast and high-quality legal support.
Elvira Lazarenko, a partner at Barristers, outlined the hub’s service model.
“We provide support throughout the entire cycle — from crossing the border and proper documentation to resolving disputes with the migration service, customs, and in court. For at least the next two years, assistance to foreign citizens will be provided pro bono,” she said.
Yaroslav Kuts, lawyer, deputy head of the UNAA Information Policy Committee, and partner at a2kat, emphasized Ukraine’s openness to foreigners and investments and explained that the hub was created not only to provide assistance during martial law, but also with a view to post-war recovery, when business activity and migration are expected to grow. “
”Despite the war, we remain a country that is open with all our heart and soul to foreigners and foreign investment. The hub was created not only for the present — it is working with an eye toward post-war recovery, when the activity of foreign citizens and businesses will increase,” he added.
In turn, Oleksandr Oliinyk, managing partner of VIDSICH Law Firm and chairman of the Criminal Law and Procedure Committee of the Kharkiv Regional Bar Association, drew attention to the risks for companies with a foreign element.
“During the period of full-scale war, according to our data, more than 500 criminal proceedings have been opened against enterprises and individuals with a foreign component; in some cases, the indictment materials have already been sent to court. Ukraine has an institution of criminal liability for legal entities — sanctions may apply not only to officials but also to companies as a whole,” Oliynyk noted.
During the event, it was emphasized that the platform will also assist with practical issues, from opening bank accounts to contractual support, and is designed to close the “service gap,” as foreigners are currently forced to seek comprehensive assistance mainly in the private sector.
The organizers announced the creation of a hub secretariat and the availability of an online form for inquiries. Olga Tanyushkina, who initiated the approach whereby lawyers devote part of their time to providing free legal assistance to foreigners helping Ukraine, is named as the program’s ideologist.
Diplomatic Legal Hub was initiated by Barristers LLC in cooperation with Ukrainian lawyers and with the support of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. Key areas include migration law, criminal and commercial proceedings, tax disputes, investment and financial transaction support. The platform is positioned as a legal support tool for diplomatic institutions, businesses, and citizens, available 24/7.
Source: https://interfax.com.ua/news/press-conference/1110786.html
Barristers, Diplomatic Legal Hub, Kuts, Oliynyk, UNAA, Лазаренко, ШЕВЧУК
Lawyers, finance experts and attorneys have united to form the National Association of Lobbyists of Ukraine (NALU) to promote investments and protect business interests, said Oleksiy Shevchuk, a lawyer, chairman of the board of NALU, chairman of the Information Policy Committee of the National Association of Lawyers of Ukraine (NALU).
“Lobbyist is a new profession in Ukraine, now created by NALU. It means that a great profession is now open to everyone, it means that now a lot of businesses have support. A lobbyist performs business and investment support functions. Today it means that large companies that are going to enter the reconstruction of Ukraine have guides, have support and have managers who will develop these companies and accompany investments,” he said at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
Shevchuk said that NALU now includes 20 people, while the transparency register of lobbyists – the only official State register of lobbyists – includes more than 30 people, and the holder of the transparency register is the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC). At the same time, the NALU can unite only individual lobbyists.
“The NAPC checks the representatives of the lobbying profession to ensure that they meet the requirements of decency and good business integrity and that they do not violate lobbying laws. Lobbyists who are members of NALA meet the standards of quality and requirements of the lobbying profession. This means that these representatives can and should be chosen to accompany major investment projects. This means that today we are moving towards the creation of a civilized society,” he said.
Shevchuk also noted that “recently, law enforcement agencies have been abusing a lot when some investment projects were presented by a state body, when people’s deputies received bills that business needs.”
“Today no one will no longer say that this is a violation of law or abuse of influence. Lobbyists are official managers who represent business,” he said.
According to Shevchuk, Ukrainian lobbyists can be registered in the United States as individual members of the profession and will be able to have a corresponding contract with a European or U.S. organization.
“If today there will be an order either from some lobbyist from the US or from some separate organization – for example, it can be an investment bank, a fund, or a small business that needs to be promoted – a lobbying contract must be concluded and this contract must be registered in the appropriate registry in the US. On their own, no lobbyist has the right to act in the U.S., every lobbyist from Ukraine must interact with a U.S. company. It is the same as with lawyers: a lawyer from America cannot work independently in Ukraine, a lawyer from Ukraine cannot work independently in the U.S.,” he explained.
For her part, NALU executive director Vitalia Globa noted that among the key areas of the association’s activities are the development of lobbyism as an important component of a democratic society, the creation of a system of self-regulation and professional standards for lobbyists, as well as the protection of the rights of association members.
“Any lobbyist in our country can become a member of our association of lobbyists by submitting a free-form application with certain documents, which are specified on the official website of our organization,” she said.
In turn, NALU board member, managing partner of the Leshchenko and Partners law firm Oleksandr Leshchenko said that experts are preparing a large report on the status, system and procedure of lobbying in Ukraine. It will be presented in the European Parliament, as well as in the United States, where a round table with international participation with lobbyists from the US is planned.
“Lobbyism is an activity that in the civilized world is legally regulated. Unfortunately, in most cases, including among elites, journalists, there is a negative attitude to the activities of lobbyists. This opinion is erroneous, because, since 1946, in the United States for the first time an act regulating the activities of lobbyists has been in force. Today Ukraine has created such a legislative act at the legislative level and now there is a process of establishing legal regulation of lobbyist activity”, – he said.
As the vice-president of NALU, head of the representation of the Ukrainian Bar in the UK Oleksandr Chernykh noted, what is now happening very often around draft laws in Ukraine cannot be called professional activity not by the level of preparation, not by the level of analysis.
“Absolutely wrong thing in Ukraine, when public activists spend millions on youtubes and social networks, actually putting pressure on state bodies to make decisions, while they do not report. If we look at the tax and public reporting, it is really millions of dollars, which then disappear on some FOPs, for some incomprehensible services. And it is not clear where these millions of dollars come from, who is the customer and what the end result of this actual lobbying activity is. I very sincerely welcome the adoption of this law, because now we can talk about legitimate legal lobbying activities,” he said.
For his part, NALU representative in Brussels, President of European Facilitation Platform Oleksandr Kamenets emphasized the need to research the lobbying field in Ukraine.
“This is a necessary condition for both in Ukraine and abroad, in Europe and in the world to understand who is now on this market, on this field in Ukraine,” he said.
Chernykh, Kamenets, Leshchenko, lobbyists, UKRAINE, Глоба, НАЛУ, ШЕВЧУК
