Featured Ukraine Scholarship

Articles Published 2025–2026

Ukraine Focus - PILPG Journal of Frontline Scholarship

Since Russia’s full scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has emerged as a central site for the development and application of international law, accountability mechanisms, and post conflict reconstruction frameworks. The scholarship presented in this collection draws on direct practitioner engagement with these challenges, offering analytically rigorous perspectives on the legal, humanitarian, and institutional dimensions shaping Ukraine’s response and recovery.

These publications reflect collaborative work among Ukrainian legal professionals, international scholars, and emerging experts engaged in documenting international crimes, supporting judicial institutions operating under extraordinary conditions, and contributing to the foundations of durable peace. Each contribution integrates doctrinal analysis with practice based insight, reflecting PILPG’s commitment to scholarship that informs policy and institutional decision making.

Addressing issues ranging from the design of accountability mechanisms to the adaptation of legal and judicial systems during armed conflict, this collection examines core legal questions facing Ukraine today. Together, the articles demonstrate the capacity of international law to support civilian protection, institutional resilience, and long term justice and reconstruction efforts.

Judicial Reform

Resilient Justice: Ukraine's Judicial Reform Amid War on the Path to EU Accession

By: Tetyana Antsupova, Dr. Paul R. Williams, & Anjali Narayanan

This article analyzes Ukraine's ongoing judicial reform in the context of Russia's war of aggression and Ukraine's pursuit of European Union membership. It traces the judiciary’s role in democratic transformation since 2014, the acceleration of reform following the 2022 invasion and the resilience of legal institutions operating under wartime conditions.

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Vol. 2 • No. 1 • Jan 2026
Accountability

Toward Justice for Ukraine: Designing a Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression

By: Dr. Paul R. Williams & Sindija Beta

Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine has exposed the absence of a forum to prosecute the crime of aggression. This article reviews four institutional models for a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression and explains why the Council of Europe framework emerged as the most viable option.

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Vol. 1 • No. 3 • Nov 2025
Accountability

Ukraine's Territorial Integrity Under Pressure of War and Diplomacy: Whither International Law?

By: Elayne Whyte Gomez, Dr. Kushtrim Istrefi & Sindija Beta

This article examines the legal and diplomatic pressures on Ukraine's territorial integrity during Russia's invasion. It reviews Russia's attempts to alter borders through unlawful force, the legal limits on territorial concessions in peace talks and the risks of legitimizing occupation. It argues that protecting Ukraine's recognized borders is essential for global security and the integrity of international law.

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Vol. 1 • No. 4 • Nov 2025
Post-conflict State Building

The United States–Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund as a New Paradigm in Post-Conflict Reconstruction Finance

By: Henry T. Scott and Dr. Paul R. Williams

This article analyzes the United States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund Agreement of April 2025 and examines how an equity based partnership model can reshape reconstruction finance by aligning investment incentives with strategic reconstruction and critical minerals development goals.

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Vol. 1 • No. 1 • Aug 2025
 
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