Dear colleagues, partners, and friends,

Today, February 24, 2025, we reflect on a tragic date in the history of the Ukrainian people: three years ago, Russia launched a full-scale war against Ukraine. From the very first day, we have been and remain by the side of our legal professionals and our country. We believe in the Armed Forces of Ukraine and thank all our military personnel and each of our lawyer colleagues who are defending us from the invaders.

Today, supporting Ukraine's legal efforts against Russian aggression, documenting and informing about crimes for the international tribunal, remains one of the main strategic directions for the Ukrainian Bar Association. The help we provide to legal professionals at the front and to those affected by the aggression has become a priority for each member of our Association.

During these three years, the UBA has directed its efforts toward fighting for justice, documenting war crimes, international advocacy, supporting legal professionals, and helping the citizens of Ukraine.

Accountability for the crime of aggression 

Together with the International Bar Association's (IBA) Human Rights Institute, we have submitted joint statements and appeals to the UN General Assembly and the UN Secretary-General, requesting the development of a comprehensive set of proposals to ensure the accountability of legal and physical persons responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression.

The UBA has participated in numerous sessions of the UN Human Rights Council, international conferences, and roundtables. Our representatives have met with government officials, politicians, business leaders, and representatives of business associations.

From the first days of the war, the UBA has become the legal voice of Ukraine in the world, coordinating the efforts of the Ukrainian and international legal communities. We have prepared nearly 50 international appeals, statements, and positions regarding sanctions, the refusal to cooperate with Russian businesses, and the support of a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

Thanks to our advocacy, the following actions have been taken:

• resolutions were passed by the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the IBA calling for the establishment of a Special Tribunal;
• we conducted an analysis of international legal mechanisms for compensation, in cooperation with experts from the UN Compensation Commission;
• we initiated an audit of Russian assets in over 30 countries for their eventual confiscation and compensation of damages to Ukraine;
• Russian and Belarusian law firms were removed from the Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500 EMEA rankings;
• evidence of Russian crimes was collected, which formed the basis for the Global Accountability Network report;
• we carried out advocacy work for the G7, UN, at IBA conferences, and international legal forums.

Accountability for war crimes 

The UBA, together with the IBA, continues the collection of evidence of war crimes through the eyeWitness to Atrocities app. Over three years, more than 53,000 photo and video pieces of evidence have been recorded, with 7,000 in 2024 alone.

The UBA continues to support the efforts of the Global Accountability Network's Ukraine Accountability Project (GAN UAP) in gathering open-source evidence of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide committed by the Russian Federation in Ukraine.

A significant achievement has been the establishment of our own Human Rights Institute of the UBA, which is also aimed at advocating for the Special Tribunal and ensuring effective human rights protection in Ukraine.

Support for the Defense Forces 

We continue to implement projects supporting lawyers on the frontlines and providing legal assistance to the citizens of Ukraine.

We are proud that the UBA has consolidated the legal community to support the lawyers defending Ukraine. For example, recently, through the "Lawyers on the Front" project, we raised 200,000 UAH for wetsuits for the "Kharkiv" Special Forces Unit of the Ukrainian Military Intelligence. We also provided material assistance worth over 170,000 UAH for purchasing armor plates, charging stations, and vehicle repairs.

During martial law, the UBA has introduced free membership for military lawyers and those affected by the war.

Assistance to lawyers and society 

Since the first day of the war, the UBA Hotline for free legal assistance has been operational:

• 7,786 inquiries have been processed, 1,279 of which were in 2024;
• we have prepared 35 legal guides and provided over 100 expert comments to the media.

With the support of USAID, we implemented two phases of the “The Trial Monitoring in War Crimes Cases” project and developed professional standards for the legal profession as part of the Classifier of Professions reform. Together with USAID and the EU Project Pravo-Justice, the UBA also runs programs to improve the quality of legal education and support Ukrainian lawyers.

During the war, the UBA established a new Committee on Military Law, Military Justice, and Veterans' Rights Protection, which is contributing to the adaptation of military legislation to NATO standards.

Together with the "Kind Hearts for Ukraine" Charity Foundation, the UBA has implemented a project to assist lawyers affected by the war. With the Association's support, material help was provided to families of lawyers who fled the occupied territories and to volunteer lawyers injured on the frontlines.

Our donors and partners 

We deeply thank all our general and international partners who continue to support the UBA, who have been with us since its inception and who joined during the war.

I would especially like to thank Anna Ogrenchuk, who was the President of the UBA when the full-scale invasion began and was able to unite and prioritize the efforts of lawyers in the most critical areas. Thank you to Inna Liniova for her tireless work on the international stage.

I am also grateful to all the members of the UBA for their assistance and support. Without your help, we would not have been able to tackle the numerous challenges and tasks.

We always say: in unity, there is strength, and together, our voices are louder. Thank you for your unity and alignment.

We will continue our work to find the most effective legal mechanisms to counter the aggressor, to support Ukrainian lawyers, and to promote Ukraine’s position on the international stage.

In the new realities and political turbulence, we must focus even more on our mission, uniting lawyers from Ukraine and around the world to protect the rule of law, resist Russian aggression, and document and inform about crimes for the future international tribunal. As they say: "Despite everything, we will do our job!"

Thank you to everyone who stands shoulder to shoulder in this fight. Together, we will prevail!

Sincerely, 

Mykola Stetsenko 

President of the Ukrainian Bar Association