Clarifying the legal framework for investment, EU integration and accountability in Ukraine

(UA-KLAR)

Podcast

Episode 1: Welcome to the UA-KLAR Podcast!

This first episode introduces the UA-KLAR project of which this podcast is a part. The UA-KLAR project aims to strengthen knowledge about Ukraine in the Norwegian society with a particular emphasis on the economic growth and investment, Ukraine’s relations with the EU and EEA, and accountability for atrocity crimes and human rights violations committed during the war in Ukraine.

Listeners also meet the co-hosts of the podcast Gaiane Nuridzhanian (UiT), Liliia Oprysk (UiB) and Yuliya Chernykh (INN) and learn about the topics covered in the future episodes.

  

Episode 2: Investment in Ukraine: The Norwegian-Ukranian Chamber of Commerce as a Catalyst for Cooperation

In this episode, Yuliya Chernykh speaks with Kjartan Svaland Tveitnes, managing director of the Norwegian-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce (NUCC) about business opportunities in Ukraine, promising investment sectors, and the role of NUCC in connecting businesses across the two countries. They discuss the importance of choosing trustworthy partners and how NUCC helps build trusted business relationships.

  

Episode 3: Enabling Investment in Ukraine. On judicial capacity-building programme of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law

In this episode, Yuliya Chernykh speaks with Mariia Tymofiienko, Head of Projects for Ukraine International Law Response at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL), about the role of judiciary in attracting investment to Ukraine. They discuss BIICL’scapacity-building programmes for Ukrainian courts and why strong judicial institutions are essential for strengthening investor confidence and supporting the country’s long-term recovery and reconstruction.

  

Episode 4: Investment and ADR

In this episode, Yuliya Chernykh speaks with Olena Perepelynska, a partner at the law firm IMPACTA LAW (Kyiv), about how arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution mechanisms can help protect investments, manage risks, and strengthen investor confidence in Ukraine.

  

Episode 5: Ukrainian Court and Ivestment Attractiveness 

In this episode, Yuliya Chernykh speaks withKostiantyn Pilkov, Judge of the Supreme Court of Ukraine, about the crucial role of courts in building investor confidence and ensuring resilience and legal certainty in times of war and reconstruction.
  

Episode 6: Documenting, investigating and prosecuting atoricty crimes committed in Ukraine

In this episode, Gaiane Nuridzhanian is joined by two prominent Ukrainian lawyers Dmytro Koval and Iryna Marchuk to discuss the challenges of documenting, investigating and prosecuting atrocity crimes committed during the war in Ukraine. The term “atrocity crimes” refers to the core international crimes, namely genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and crime of aggression. The guest experts provide examples of these crimes committed in Ukraine and explain how Ukraine’s criminal justice system handles investigation and prosecution of these crimes. They remark on the significant improvement in expertise in investigating and prosecuting these crimes among Ukrainian investigators, prosecutors and judges. At the same time, difficulties in ensuring respect for defendants’ right to a fair trial persist.

In addition, the guest experts discuss the role of civil society organisations in documenting atrocity crimes committed during the war in Ukraine. The longstanding cooperation between the civil society organisations and law enforcement authorities is a unique feature of the accountability process taking place in Ukraine. Other states can support the justice effort in Ukraine by sharing expertise, collecting evidence and prosecuting atrocity crimes committed in Ukraine based on the principle of universal jurisdiction.

To learn more, check out the following publications:

Iryna Marchuk, “Rough Waters or Smooth Sailing? Taking Stock of War Crimes Judgments by Ukrainian Courts”, Journal of International Criminal Justice (2025) 

Gaiane Nuridzhanian, “Ensuring Fairness of War Crimes Trials in Ukraine” in The Russian-Ukrainian Conflict and War Crimes Challenges for Documentation and International Prosecution (Routledge, 2024) 

Truth Hounds, War Crimes: An Investigative Methodology for NGOs (2023) 

Co-host

Gaiane Nuridzhanian is an Associate Professor at UiT Faculty of Law where she leads the Research Group for Human Rights and International Law and heads the project “Clarifying the legal framework for investment, EU integration and accountability in Ukraine (UA-KLAR)”.

Guests

Dmytro Koval is an Associate Professor at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (Ukraine) where he heads the Department of International and European Law. He is also a co-director of Truth Hounds, an NGO that has been documenting and investigating atrocity crimes and other serious human rights violations in Ukraine since 2014. Dmytro has advised Ukrainian government as well as intergovernmental organisations on different aspects of foreign policy and international law.

Iryna Marchuk is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law at University of Copenhagen. She has published widely on topics related to justice and accountability for atrocity crimes and violations of international law committed during the war in Ukraine. Iryna was previously affiliated with several international courts, such as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and the International Criminal Court (ICC).

  

Episode 7: The role of international courts in accountability for atrocity crimes committed in Ukraine

In this episode, Gaiane Nuridzhanian discusses with Dmytro Koval, Iryna Marchuk and Sondre Torp Helmersen the role of international courts and tribunals in accountability for atrocity crimes committed during the war in Ukraine. The episode focuses on two international courts, namely the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. The experts discuss the ICC’s investigations in Ukraine and its arrest warrants against Russia’s political leaders and military commanders. While these arrest warrants remain unenforced, they limit Russia’s leadership ability to travel and spread propaganda in support of Russia’s unlawful war against Ukraine. These arrest warrants also hold important symbolic value for victims of atrocity crimes in Ukraine.

In addition, experts explain why a new court - the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression  against Ukraine – is being established under the auspices of the Council of Europe, a regional inter-governmental organisation. They discuss the competence of the Special Tribunal, the potential suspects and the expectations of Ukrainian society towards international criminal justice.

To learn more, check out the following resources:

International Criminal Court, Situation in Ukraine

Council of Europe, the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression – Frequently asked questions

Gaiane Nuridzhanian, “The Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression Against Ukraine: Jurisdiction, Immunities and Due Process”, Nordic Journal of International Law (2026) 

Speakers

Co-host: Gaiane Nuridzhanian is an Associate Professor at UiT Faculty of Law where she leads the Research Group for Human Rights and International Law and heads the project “Clarifying the legal framework for investment, EU integration and accountability in Ukraine (UA-KLAR)”.

Guests

Dmytro Koval is an Associate Professor at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (Ukraine) where he heads the Department of International and European Law. He is also a co-director of Truth Hounds, an NGO that has been documenting and investigating atrocity crimes and other serious human rights violations in Ukraine since 2014. Dmytro has advised Ukrainian government as well as intergovernmental organisations on different aspects of foreign policy and international law.

Iryna Marchuk is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law at University of Copenhagen. She has published widely on topics related to justice and accountability for atrocity crimes and violations of international law committed during the war in Ukraine. Iryna was previously affiliated with several international courts, such as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Sondre Torp Helmersen is a Professor at the Faculty of Law at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. His research focuses on international law, especially the sources of international law, the prohibition of the use of force, the law of the sea, and the relationship between international law and national law. Sondre is author of several textbooks in international law and the recipient of UiT’s 2025 Young Researcher Award. Before joining academia, Sondre worked as a lawyer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway.