On April 21, 2026, at the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the NAS of Ukraine, the International Scientific and Practical Conference "Jurisprudence — Use of Law as a Weapon in War. Legal Mechanisms for Counteracting Russian Aggression" was held in a mixed format (offline and online in video conference mode on the ZOOM platform).

The organizers of the conference were: National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the NAS of Ukraine, National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine. Information partners — "Legal Practice" and «Yurydichna Gazeta», as well as with the support of the EQUITY bar association.

The event was attended by leading Ukrainian scientists, representatives of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, the National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, people's deputies of Ukraine, judges of the Supreme Court, prosecutors of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine, representatives of scientific institutions, higher education institutions, doctoral and postgraduate students, representatives of civil society institutions.

The Director of the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Law, Professor, Vice-President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Honored Lawyer of Ukraine Oleksandr Skrypnyuk addressed the participants of the Conference with a welcoming speech. In his welcoming speech, Oleksandr Skrypnyuk noted that, in addition to the sections — on which, in fact, the work of the conference is built, special reports of experts will be discussed in order to cover the widest possible range of issues on the issue of legal issues. The Head of the Institute wished the participants fruitful work and invited Doctor of Law, First Vice-President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, People's Deputy of the I-IV convocations Oleksandr Bandurka to deliver a welcoming speech. Oleksandr Bandurka emphasized that the theory and history of state and law — as a weapon to counter Russian aggression, — very relevant, because it is legal science in this area that refutes Russian narratives that the Ukrainian people do not have their own history, their own identity and national self-identity. «Science shows that the thousand-year tradition of Ukrainian statehood manifested itself in distant historical times, when Muscovy did not yet exist. Let us recall the treaties of Kyivan Rus with Byzantium in 907 and 911, where the Kyivan state existed», — the scientist emphasized.

The moderator of the conference - Oleg Malinevsky, senior researcher at the Department of International Law and European Union Law of the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the NAS of Ukraine, managing partner of the law firm "Equity", Doctor of Philosophy in Law, noted that the work of the conference was built on thematic blocks. In particular, Session 1 The concept of legality - the use of law as a weapon in war and its role in countering Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine and other armed conflicts. Session 2 International legal and foreign aspects of legality in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Session 3. National legal aspects of the rule of law in the field of countering the aggressor.

The first Section featured the following speakers: Olexandr Bandurka, full member (academician) of the National Academy of Laws of Ukraine, First Vice-President of the National Academy of Laws of Ukraine, member of the Presidium of the National Academy of Laws of Ukraine; Nataliya Onishchenko, full member (academician) of the National Academy of Laws of Ukraine, Doctor of Laws, Professor, Deputy Director for Scientific Work of the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; Valeriy Chaly, diplomat, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to the USA (2015-2019); Oleg Malinevsky, Doctor of Philosophy in Law, Managing Partner of the Law Firm ’Equity», Vice President of the Ukrainian Bar Association, Senior Researcher of the Department of International Law of the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine; Mark ELLIS, Executive Director of the International Bar Association.

The questions for discussion in Section 1 were: The legal struggle with the Russian aggressor: concepts, features and key points of confrontation. The interdisciplinary nature of the legal struggle: synergy of international and national law. The state of legislative regulation of the legal struggle in Ukraine, international law and national legislation of foreign countries.

The following speakers delivered speeches in the second Section: Stanislav Kravchenko, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; Mykola Onishchuk, Rector of the National School of Judges of Ukraine; Oleg Tkachuk, Judge of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court, Doctor of Law; Tetiana Nesterchuk, Barrister of England and Wales (at Fountain Court Chambers), author of the British bill on the confiscation of Russian state assets, worked as a lecturer in trusts, torts, land and Roman law at Oxford University (2005-2015); Anton Korenevich, Doctor of Law, Ambassador at Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Olesya Otradnova, Doctor of Law, Professor, People's Deputy of Ukraine.

The questions for discussion in Section 2 were: The role of national courts of Ukraine in countering armed aggression by the Russian Federation. Scientific and practical problems of creating a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression: concept, composition, procedure and start of work. Implementation of an international compensation mechanism for Ukraine. International register of damages: legal nature, subjects, composition of bodies and officials, relationship with other instruments of the rule of law. Counteraction to torture, ill-treatment of prisoners of war, and other conventional mechanisms for preventing gross violations of human rights during war: problems of theory and practice. Children's rights during war: legal mechanisms of protection and counteraction to violations. Protection of journalists in armed conflict: legal challenges, proving targeted attacks and the role of parliamentary control; Projecting peace through the environment: transformation of environmental law into an instrument of victory.

The following speakers delivered their reports in the third Section: Pavlo Kulynich, corresponding member of the National Academy of Laws of Ukraine, Doctor of Laws, Professor, Head of the Department of Agrarian, Land, Environmental and Space Law Problems of the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the NAS of Ukraine; Nataliya Malysheva, full member (academician) of the National Academy of Laws of Ukraine, Doctor of Laws, Professor, Chief Researcher of the Department of Agrarian, Land, Environmental and Space Law Problems of the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the NAS of Ukraine; Oleg Martselyak, Doctor of Laws, Professor, Leading Researcher of the Department of Constitutional and Municipal Law, Honored Lawyer of Ukraine; Mykhailo Savchyn, Doctor of Law, Director of the Research Institute of Comparative Public Law and International Law of Uzhhorod National University; Roman Maidanyk, Doctor of Law, Professor, Educational and Scientific Institute of Law of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv; Oleksiy Yakubenko, Head of the Department of Legal Protection from the Aggressor Country, Department of the State Representation in Interstate Affairs, Secretariat of the Commissioner for the European Court of Human Rights of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine; Oksana Holovchenko, Acting Head of the Department of Compensation for Damage Caused by Armed Aggression, Ministry of Justice; Sergiy Shapchenko, Candidate of Law, Associate Professor, Professor of the Department of Criminal Policy and Criminal Law of the Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University Educational and Scientific Institute of Law; Olena Fonova, Chairman of the Commercial Court of Luhansk Oblast, Candidate of Law; Taras Semkiv, Head of the Department for Counteracting Crimes Committed in the Conditions of Armed Conflict, Prosecutor General's Office.

The issues for discussion in Section 3 were: Legitimate harm: exemption from liability for harm caused in a state of extreme necessity, to protect against aggression or in other cases caused by the behavior of the injured person himself. The concept and development of the doctrine of combat immunity. Harmonization of the criminal legislation of Ukraine with international criminal law as a means of ensuring an adequate legal response to international crimes. Collective victim in criminal proceedings: prospects for legislative recognition of significant groups of legal entities and individuals as victims in cases of crimes of aggression and war crimes. Development of legislation on the criminal liability of legal entities for war crimes. Legislative steps to strengthen the fight against terrorism, the formation of a register of terrorist organizations and states-sponsors of terrorism. War terrorism as a special element of crime.

The conference became an important platform for professional discussion from the history, state and prospects for the development of lawfare as a scientific and legal concept of the use of law in war to issues of the interdisciplinary nature of lawfare: the synergy of international and national law.

Summing up the Conference, Olexandr Skrypnyuk noted that the very concept of "lawfare" and the use of law as a weapon of war, its role in countering Russian aggression, international legal and foreign aspects of lawfare in the Russian-Ukrainian war were discussed. "These are just blocks, and in these blocks there are more than a dozen issues. The issues were discussed not only from the point of view of science, but also from practice. And the scientific study of this topic does not end with this conference. This topic requires further study and research", — summed up Olexander Skrypnyuk.