Reparations, Frozen Assets, and Ukraine’s Path to Recovery
This article analyzes the role of frozen Russian sovereign assets in bridging the gap between Russia’s legal obligation to make reparation and the delivery of compensation to Ukraine. In doing so, it examines Ukraine’s emerging reparations architecture and assesses proposals for use of the frozen assets in future compensation efforts. The article argues that any Russian sovereign assets lawfully made available for reparative purposes should be directed through a dedicated compensation fund linked to the International Claims Commission and used to satisfy awards arising from Russia’s internationally wrongful acts. While this institutional approach does not resolve the contested legal basis for transferring the assets, it offers a framework for translating Russia’s legal responsibility into meaningful redress for Ukraine.
Ivan Horodyskyy is an Associate Professor of Law at the Ukrainian Catholic University School of Public Management. Ivan was a Founding Director of the Ukrainian Catholic University School of Law and now is Director of the Stanislav Dnistrianskyi Center for Law and Politics (Lviv, Ukraine).
Dr. Paul R. Williams holds the Rebecca I. Grazier Professorship in Law and International Relations at American University where he teaches in the School of International Service and at the Washington College of Law. Dr. Williams is also the Co-Founder of the Public International Law & Policy Group (“PILPG”). He received his J.D. from Stanford Law School and his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge.
Allyson Reynolds is a Legal Advisor to PILPG. She received her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and LL.M. in Public International Law from Leiden University.