The project aims to contribute to improvement of the handling of electronic evidence for use in criminal proceedings related to war crimes and gross human rights violations in the context of the Russian aggression against Ukraine through strengthening the criminal justice capacities of Ukrainian law enforcement, prosecutors and judiciary on handling electronic evidence in criminal cases of war crimes and gross human rights violations. This project will complement the regional CyberEast+ joint project of the European Union and the Council of Europe, as well as other projects and initiatives in support of Ukraine. It is expected that project activities and the delivery of outcomes will lead to an increase in the:

• Level of compliance with and application of relevant international standards on cybercrime and electronic evidence, Council of Europe Cybercrime Convention (ETS No.185) and Second Additional Protocol to the Cybercrime Convention on enhanced co-operation and disclosure of electronic evidence (CETS No.224);
• Availability and extent of implementation of national regulations, guidelines and procedures supporting handling and chain of custody for electronic evidence in cases of war crimes and GHRV;
• Effectiveness of criminal investigations, prosecutions and adjudication in cases of war crimes and GHRV;
• Number of sustainable trainings implemented and number of experts equipped with adequate skills for investigating and prosecuting cybercrime, and handling electronic evidence in criminal cases; and
• Availability and extent of practical use of guides, procedures and templates on international cooperation tools provided by the Second Protocol to the Budapest Convention.

The project contributes to the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine for 2023-2026 that was approved in December 2022.

The objective of the project is to improve the handling of electronic evidence for use in criminal proceedings related to war crimes and GHRV in the context of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. This process of change will be made possible through the achievement of strengthening the criminal justice capacities of Ukrainian law enforcement, prosecutors and judiciary on handling electronic evidence in criminal cases of war crimes and gross human rights violations.

• Improved regulatory framework for the use of e-evidence in criminal proceedings,
• Stronger legal framework and skills for tackling cyberattacks against civilian targets and infrastructure,
• Improved capacities for the collection and handling of e-evidence, and increased domestic and international cooperation on e-evidence. The Outcomes of this project will also have an impact on capacities of Ukraine to make use of electronic evidence beyond war crimes and GHRV but with respect to any crime.

• Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine
• Cyber Police Department of the National Police of Ukraine
• State Security Service of Ukraine
• State Bureau of Investigation of Ukraine
• Ministry of Justice of Ukraine
• National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine
• Journalists, media and civil society organisations
• Governmental or national Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs)
   

The total Budget of the project is 3,500,000 Euros. 

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The Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe (C-PROC) in Bucharest, Romania is responsible for assisting countries worldwide in strengthening their legal systems capacity to respond to the challenges posed by cybercrime and electronic evidence on the basis of the standards of the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention). C-PROC, with its capacity building function, complements the work of the Cybercrime Convention Committee (T-CY) through which State Parties follow the implementation of the Budapest Convention.