Victoria Matola

Ukrainian journalist reporting on justice processes

Ukrainian freelance journalist and editor with more than ten years experience reporting on Ukrainian politics, the judicial system and law enforcement agencies. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Victoria has focused on war crimes and the court processes which surround them.

Stories by the Author

A woman leaves the offices of the Ukrainian General Prosecutor in Kiev, Ukraine.

A woman leaves the offices of the Ukrainian General Prosecutor in Kiev, Ukraine. © Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Ukraine: Fighting Judicial Corruption in Wartime

Strenuous efforts continue to address long-time situation in which judges were elected with no competition or integrity checks.

15 Jun 23

Forensic police exhume bodies from unidentified makeshift graves at the Pishanske cemetery on September 23, 2022 in Izium, Ukraine. A total of 447 bodies was exhumed from the gravesite, including 22 soldiers and 5 children, and the bodies will be examined for possible war crimes.

Forensic police exhume bodies from unidentified makeshift graves at the Pishanske cemetery on September 23, 2022 in Izium, Ukraine. A total of 447 bodies was exhumed from the gravesite, including 22 soldiers and 5 children, and the bodies will be examined for possible war crimes. © Paula Bronstein/Getty Images

Ukraine: Prosecuting War Crimes in Civilian Courts

Are such trials compatible with international humanitarian law?

16 May 23

A woman leaves the offices of the Ukrainian General Prosecutor in Kiev, Ukraine.

A woman leaves the offices of the Ukrainian General Prosecutor in Kiev, Ukraine. © Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Influx of Cases Presents Huge Challenge for Ukraine’s Judges

Judicial practice needs to be formulated to meet urgent demands of unprecedented situation.

2 May 23

A police officer passes under a cordon at a school that was hit by a Russian missile in an overnight attack on Mykolaiv, Ukraine.

A police officer passes under a cordon at a school that was hit by a Russian missile in an overnight attack on Mykolaiv, Ukraine. © Carl Court/Getty Images

Ukraine: Justice in Absentia

Process seen as problematic in many jurisdictions, given the difficulties in allowing defendant their full rights.

11 Apr 23

Bohdan Oleksandrovych Lukavenko, a senior investigator of special importance cases of the administration of the of Kharkiv oblast, dusts for fingerprints on items found in a building used as a local headquarters by Russian occupying forces in Vyshneve, Ukraine.

Bohdan Oleksandrovych Lukavenko, a senior investigator of special importance cases of the administration of the of Kharkiv oblast, dusts for fingerprints on items found in a building used as a local headquarters by Russian occupying forces in Vyshneve, Ukraine. © Carl Court/Getty Images

Ukraine: International Support for War Crimes Investigations

Aid efforts extend from legal expertise to practical assistance in crime scene investigation.

14 Feb 23

Supreme Court judge Serhii Pohribnyi.

Supreme Court judge Serhii Pohribnyi. © The Press Office of the Supreme Court

Limiting Russia’s Judicial Immunity

Supreme Court judge explains how a Ukrainian legal decision could transform future mechanisms for Russian reparations.

15 Nov 22

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