Global Rights Compliance (GRC), together with the European Union Advisory Mission (EUAM), co-organised an expert workshop on 17 December 2025 in Kyiv, focused on strengthening accountability for the crime of aggression under Ukrainian law. The event was supported by the European Union and delivered via the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group for Ukraine (ACA).
The closed-door workshop brought together prosecutors from the specialised unit on the crime of aggression within the Office of the Prosecutor General, investigators from the Security Service of Ukraine, and international experts. Opening
remarks were delivered by GRC’s President Wayne Jordash KC and Legal Advisor Jeremy Pizzi. During the opening session, Jeremy Pizzi outlined the role of the ACA Aggression Cluster and its cooperation with Ukrainian prosecutors on aggression-related proceedings. Experts led multiple sessions throughout the full-day event from both GRC and the EUAM.
The workshop addressed key legal and practical challenges in prosecuting the crime of aggression, including identifying applicable state conduct, applying the leadership element correctly, and the investigative steps necessary to meet evidentiary
requirements. Participants examined the risks associated with misapplying the leadership threshold as defined by international law and discussed approaches to proceedings that may not meet the requisite standard.
“The crime of aggression carries immense weight. Following the Nuremberg Trial’s resounding judgement that unleashing war would be deemed a crime against peace, it became a cornerstone of our modern international legal order. Yet accountability has remained elusive over time. Very little precedent exists to guide Ukrainian prosecutors. With both this workshop and our
continued support for Ukrainian authorities, we aim to provide guidelines for robust adherence to international law that will allow Ukraine to set a historical standard for the domestic prosecution of this evasive core international crime.” – Jeremy Pizzi.
Through practical case studies spanning political, military, security, economic, arms manufacturing, and propaganda spheres, participants explored investigative strategies for establishing leadership responsibility, including the use of indirect and circumstantial evidence where access to official state documentation is limited.
Discussions highlighted both the complexity and the precedent-setting potential of Ukraine’s domestic efforts to prosecute the crime of aggression, underscoring the importance of coherence, legal certainty, and alignment with international standards.
GRC’s Mobile Justice Teams are part of ACA – a multilateral initiative established by the United Kingdom, the European Union, and the United States to support and assist Ukrainian law enforcement and prosecutors in investigating and prosecuting international crimes committed during a full-scale war.