The Head of the Council of Europe Office in Ukraine, Mr Maciej Janczak, met for the first time with the newly appointed Prosecutor General, Mr Ruslan Kravchenko. The meeting took place on 9 September at the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine. The meeting focused on the key challenges faced by the Ukrainian prosecutors in the context of the war.
The Prosecutor General outlined the established key priorities such as investigating war crimes, protecting the rights of children, taking into account the risks generated by the war of aggression, protecting the legitimate interests of national and international investors, and combating cybercrime. Furthermore, he also underlined the process of integration of Ukraine to the European Union, assuring that work in this area would continue.
Mr Ruslan Kravchenko thanked the Council of Europe for its continued support and stressed the importance of preparing for the work of the Special Tribunal on the crimes of aggression committed by the Russian Federation against Ukraine. Particular emphasis was placed on the importance of cooperation and the work of prosecutors at the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crimes of Aggression against Ukraine (ICPA).
In turn, Mr Maciej Janczak confirmed the Council of Europe's readiness to continue assisting the prosecutor's office by providing expert support on the implementation of the standards of the Council of Europe and its monitoring bodies, in particular with regard to the completion of the fourth evaluation round of the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO), the protection of children, addressing crimes committed by or involving children in the context of the war, as well as the use of electronic evidence in investigating war crimes and serious human rights violations, including their proper collection, preservation, and admissibility in criminal proceedings.
The meeting was concluded by signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation under the CyberUA project, which will strengthen Ukraine's capacity to handle electronic evidence in criminal proceedings of war crimes and gross human rights violations. The project is part of the Action Plan of the Council Europe to support Ukrainian authorities, and is contributing to the enhancement of the capacities and capabilities of the national authorities to deal with electronic evidence in accordance with international standards.
