On June 5, 2026, a large-scale forum of lawyers was held in Kyiv - the IX Kyiv Polylogue on the topic: «Criminal Justice during War: Institutional Interaction, Responsibility and Public Trust». This authoritative event brought together judges of the Supreme Court, representatives of the High Council of Justice, international partners and the leading scientific community of Ukraine.

The V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

traditionally served as a co-organizer and one of the main intellectual drivers of the forum.

At the origins of tradition: Word from the Director

The Director of the Institute of State and Law, Vice-President of the National Academy of Law of Ukraine, Doctor of Law, Professor Olexandr Skrypnyuk, during his welcoming speech, emphasized the special, strategic significance of this project for the academic institution.

«Our Institute stood at the very origins of this large-scale project, acting as its initiator and founder. We are proud that the idea of ​​integrating academic science and judicial practice, which we laid the foundation for the "Kyiv Polylogue" 9 years ago, has grown into a powerful state tradition», — the head of the institution noted.

Olexandr Skrypnyuk emphasized that in the conditions of a full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, the chosen topic — This is not just a theoretical discourse, but a direct issue of the survival of our state and the preservation of its legal identity. Criminal justice today has found itself at the forefront of protecting national security, law and order and human rights, acting as an instrument of establishing justice.

Synergy of theory and practice

Today, academic science cannot exist in isolation from real military realities and act for the sake of «bare theorizing». The Institute constantly keeps its finger on the pulse of legal transformations. A vivid confirmation of this is the systematic analytical work of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology of the Institute under the leadership of Doctor of Law, Professor Zoya Zagyna-Zabolotenko. It was she who moderated one of the key thematic discussions of the event and presented new fundamental scientific publications prepared by the Institute within the framework of the target program of the NAS of Ukraine «Lawmaking in Ukraine: Doctrinal Principles, Legal Regulation, Implementation Practice for 2025-2027», in particular the monograph «Conceptual Principles of Lawmaking in the Sphere of Criminal Justice», in the writing of which both scientists of the Institute and judges of the Cassation Criminal Court of the Supreme Court Nataliya Antonyuk, Serhiy Fomin, as well as the leadership of the Supreme Court Staff Rasim Babanly and Yuriy Khim’yak took part. The polylogue also featured an important presentation of scientific works published with the assistance of the OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine, which were the result of the joint painstaking work of the Institute's scientists and the judiciary. In particular, the publication of monographs and generalizations of judicial practice was noted (including works on the ideology of criminal law policy by Pavel Fris, research on bribery problems under the leadership of Mykola Khavronyuk, as well as a collection of scientific works «Practice of the Cassation Criminal Court within the Supreme Court: Doctrinal Approaches and Applied Aspects»).

Key highlights of the Polylog discussions:

The event program covered three fundamental blocks, which were analyzed through the prism of the interaction of science and law enforcement:

1. The judiciary in wartime: how not to lose the state from within

Deputy Head of the Supreme Court of Ukraine's Criminal Court Nataliya Antonyuk presented the key legal positions of the Supreme Court of Ukraine's Criminal Court regarding corruption-related criminal offenses. The thematic discussion was attended by Olexiy Melnyk, a member of the High Council of Justice, Professor of the Department of Criminal Law Policy and Criminal Law of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Olexandr Dudorov, and an associate professor of the Department of Criminal Law and Criminology of Faculty No. 1, assistant to the rector for scientific activities of the Lviv State University of Internal Affairs, Olexandr Marin. The thematic discussion was moderated by Oksana Kvasha, a member of the High Council of Justice, a leading researcher at the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law.

2. Criminal legal protection of the foundations of national security.

Special attention was paid to the judicial practice of considering cases of high treason, collaborationist activities and other criminal offenses against the foundations of national security of Ukraine. The thematic discussion was attended by Judge of the Cassation Criminal Court of the Supreme Court Nataliya Marchuk, Head of the Kyiv District Court of Kharkiv Svitlana Sharenko, and Professor of the Vasyl Stus Donetsk National University Roman Movchan. The publications published with the assistance of the OSCE Support Program for Ukraine, as well as the series of monographs "The Lawmaker's Library" were presented by the Head of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology of the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law Zoya Zagyna-Zabolotenko.

3. Challenges for criminal justice during wartime.

The participants of this thematic discussion were the judge of the Cassation Criminal Court of the Supreme Court Serhiy Fomin, the judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Oleksandr Vodyannikov, the judge of the Cassation Criminal Court of the Supreme Court Arkady Bushchenko, a member of the High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine, and a senior researcher of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology of the V.M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the NAS of Ukraine Vitaly Gatselyuk.

Thanks to partners and a look into the future

The director of the Institute Oleksandr Skrypnyuk expressed deep gratitude to the strategic partners, without whose synergy such a forum would have been impossible:

• The Supreme Court and the leadership of the Criminal Court of Cassation for their tremendous organizational support and highly statesmanlike approach to involving scientific expertise in the formation of judicial practice.

• The High Council of Justice represented by Deputy Chairman Oksana Kvashi.

• The OSCE Support Program for Ukraine represented by Natalia Stupnytska for many years of reliable partnership in publishing scientific works and implementing the project "Improving the Quality of Justice".

The result of this year's Polylogue was not just passionate discussions, but specific practical recommendations that will lay a reliable foundation for further legislative activity and unified judicial practice in wartime.

Watch the broadcast of the 9th Kyiv Polylogue at the link — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSj3vLQwSJ4 

Lawyers and scientists are united in their desire: to work for the establishment of justice, bring Victory closer and meet the next, the 10th anniversary Kyiv Polylogue in a peaceful, prosperous and strong legal Ukraine!

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