Anna Ogrenchuk, President of The Ukrainian Bar Association (UBA), managing partner of LCF Law Group, took part at the webinar of the International Bar Association (IBA) " The Russian invasion of Ukraine: How can the legal profession provide support to Ukraine?", which took place on April 6, 2022.

The event was attended by Jörg Menzer, SPPI Chair, Wayne Jordash, expert in international criminal law, Doughty Street Chambers lawyer, Irina Paliashvili, member, Senior Lawyers' Committee Advisory Board,  managing partner of  RULG Ukrainian Legal Group, Wendy Betts, director of the IBA’s EyeWitness project.

The event was moderated by Joanna Weller, Co-Chair IBA Rule of Law Forum.

At the webinar, Anna Ogrenchuk noted that during the 42 days of a full-scale armed aggression against Ukraine, Russia has committed ALL crimes that are currently classified as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide under international humanitarian and criminal law.

Jurisprudence is being attempted to be turned upside down: the whole country shamelessly names aggressive war as "collective security", and "genocide" – as "measures of demilitarization and denazification”. Therefore, uniting lawyers on the legal front is just as important as victories on the ground.

To this end, UBA urges the legal community to undertake measures within its control, namely:

- stop serving not only Russian, but also international companies that continue to work in Russia, since all their taxes and investments are spent not on humanitarian purposes, but on financing military operations in Ukraine.

- support investigation and documentation of war crimes;

- provide expert assistance under the digital open source investigation based on Berkeley protocol;

- advocate tightening of sanctions against RF;

- support establishment of a Special Tribunal with an exclusive jurisdiction to investigate and review the crime of aggression against Ukraine;

- conduct a thorough audit of all asset of the Russian Federation and persons who support the regime;

- develop a mechanism for turning sanctions into real confiscations and integrate this mechanism into national legislation. This includes mechanisms to overcome sovereign immunity of the RF due to war of aggression;

- use pro bono assistance to Ukrainian refugees who were forced to flee the Russian aggression.

"We in Ukraine believe in international justice and restoration of the legal and proper world order, despite scepticism that this is just an illusion that has been artificially maintained for decades. Our joint task is to prove the opposite. Law should be an instrument of life, not death", mentioned UBA President.