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
From July 27 to August 2, Ukraine reduced electricity imports by 32.0% compared to the previous week—to 22,600 MWh—while exports rose by 49.6%—to 84,200 MWh, according to the DIXI Group analytical center, citing data from Energy Map.
“Thus, Ukraine has maintained its status as a net exporter for the fourth consecutive week: the volume of electricity supplied abroad exceeded imports by a factor of 3.7,” the center noted.
Last week’s export growth was driven by increased demand for electricity in European countries due to hot weather and competitive pricing conditions. Throughout the week, prices on Ukraine’s “day-ahead” (DAA) market remained lower than on the DAA markets of neighboring Eastern European countries.
According to Energy Map, Hungary accounted for the largest share of imports last month—7.8 thousand MWh, or 34.6%. Romania accounted for 6,900 MWh (30.4%), Slovakia for 5,900 MWh (26.3%), and Poland for 2,000 MWh (8.7%).
Exports, in turn, took place daily, and their daily volumes throughout the week were 2–6 times higher than imports.
Hungary also remained the main export destination, with 36.3 thousand MWh (43.1% of total exports) supplied there. Exports to Moldova totaled 25.8 thousand MWh (30.6%), to Romania – 18.9 thousand MWh (22.5%), to Slovakia – 3.1 thousand MWh (3.7%), and to Poland – 0.1 thousand MWh (0.1%).
Compared to the previous week, exports increased by 7–70% for most destinations.
As of August 5, the European Union has changed the conditions for granting temporary protection to certain Ukrainian citizens subject to military service. New applicants will be required to confirm that they have complied with the requirements of Ukrainian law, have been exempted from military service, or have legally left the territory of Ukraine.
The relevant provisions are contained in EU Council Implementing Decision No. 2026/1912, adopted on July 30 and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on August 4, 2026. The decision entered into force the day after its publication.
The new restriction applies only to individuals who apply for temporary protection after the decision enters into force. Ukrainians who have already been granted this status in an EU country retain their rights, and the new rules do not apply to them.
To obtain temporary protection, a new applicant must confirm compliance with their military obligations in Ukraine. Evidence may include a passport with a stamp confirming lawful departure from the country, or a paper or electronic document confirming exemption from service or the fulfillment of relevant obligations. The decision will depend on the availability of documents confirming the legality of departure and the applicant’s status under Ukrainian law.
At the same time, the Council of the EU has extended temporary protection for Ukrainian citizens for another year—until March 4, 2028. Previously, the program was set to expire on March 4, 2027.
The Council of the EU explained that the new condition was introduced to simultaneously ensure protection for displaced persons and address Ukraine’s defense needs. EU member states agreed that, going forward, temporary protection should be granted only to new applicants who are fulfilling their military obligations in Ukraine.
Temporary protection grants Ukrainians the right to reside in EU countries, as well as access to the labor market, medical care, social security, housing, and education for their children.
According to the Council of the EU, as of the end of May 2026, approximately 4.38 million people who had left Ukraine after the start of the full-scale war were benefiting from temporary protection in the European Union.
The Second Ukrainian Film Festival in Thailand, organized by the Embassy of Ukraine to mark the 35th anniversary of the country’s independence, will take place in Bangkok on August 5–6.
The screenings will take place at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. The program includes four Ukrainian films of various genres—a biographical drama, a documentary, a family adventure film, and an anthology of short stories.
The festival will open on August 5 at 4:00 p.m. with a screening of the 2025 film “Malevich,” dedicated to the life and work of Ukrainian avant-garde artist Kazimir Malevich.
At 6:00 p.m., audiences will be treated to the 2026 documentary “The Underground Garden.” The film tells the story of a children’s art studio operating in a Kharkiv bomb shelter as it prepares for its first international exhibition.
On the second day, August 6, at 3:00 p.m., there will be a screening of the family adventure film “The Guard Post,” based on the legends and imagery of the Kievan Rus’ era.
The festival will conclude at 6:00 p.m. with the 2025 anthology of short films *War Through the Eyes of Animals*. It features stories based on real events about animals during a full-scale war. Oscar-winning American actor and director Sean Penn participated in the creation of the project.
The embassy noted that the festival program aims to introduce Thai audiences to the culture and history of Ukraine, the resilience of Ukrainian society, and the lives of people living under wartime conditions.
Admission to all screenings is free, but advance registration is required—https://forms.gle/CkNvc5TjmUdvDmV6A.
Ukraine’s national team is participating for the first time in the International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence (IOAI), whose third final is being held in Astana from August 2 to 8, 2026. More than 500 school students from 108 countries have arrived for the competition.
Ukraine did not participate in the first two IOAI competitions, held in 2024 in Burgas, Bulgaria, and in 2025 in Beijing.
The Ukrainian team includes four participants from Kyiv and Irpin. One of the finalists represents the A+ Architectural and Engineering Collegium.
More than 2,200 school students from across Ukraine took part in the selection process for the national team. The program included testing basic digital skills and media literacy, assessing knowledge of artificial intelligence, machine learning and data processing, a technical English-language examination and a practical round.
After the main stages, the 50 best participants underwent three weeks of training with artificial intelligence instructors. The final composition of the national team was determined based on the results of the training, tests, practical assignments and interviews.
The official national coordinator of the IOAI in Ukraine is the A+ educational holding company, which received accreditation from the international olympiad in November 2025. Oleksandr Shapovalov is the project’s national coordinator, Oleksandra Hryshko is the international coordinator, Vitalii Sandul is the academic director, and Vasyl Orishchuk is the head of the scientific committee.
Developer KAN Development became the general partner of the Ukrainian national team, while the ITVDN educational IT platform became the olympiad’s partner in Ukraine.
The olympiad includes individual and team competitions. Participants work on practical tasks involving artificial intelligence and machine learning, analyze data, create models and evaluate their quality. Each country may send up to two teams, each consisting of no more than four school students and a team leader.
The first team round took place on August 3 following the official opening ceremony. The final stage of the team competition and the awards ceremony will take place on August 7.
During the individual rounds, participants work for six hours. Based on the results of the first stage of the team competition, the organizers select the ten best national teams, which earn the right to continue competing in the final.
A total of 103 countries and territories and more than 120 teams initially registered to participate in IOAI 2026. Following the opening, the organizers reported delegations from 108 countries and territories. The difference is related to the final composition of the participants who arrived in Astana.
The International Olympiad in Artificial Intelligence was established in 2024. The first tournament in Bulgaria brought together 41 teams from 32 countries, while the second in China attracted about 300 school students from more than 50 countries. The fourth IOAI is scheduled to take place in Singapore in 2027.
Ukraine’s debut at the IOAI comes amid the development of a national system of artificial intelligence competitions. The Ukrainian selection process was open to school and college students between the ages of 14 and 20, and participation in all its stages was free of charge.
AI olympiad competitions differ from traditional computer science contests. Writing a program is not enough: participants must prepare and analyze data, select a machine-learning method, train a model, verify its accuracy and justify the result obtained.
Participation in the IOAI enables Ukraine to compare the level of preparation of its school students with teams from leading technological countries and begin developing its own system for training young artificial intelligence specialists.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, reported that 8.4 million Ukrainian citizens are currently abroad.
“More than 8.4 million of our citizens are currently outside Ukraine. It is our duty to ensure that each of them knows: Ukraine remembers them and is ready to protect their rights,” Lubinets wrote on Telegram on Tuesday.
