New York, May 13, 2026—After Russia’s aggression in Ukraine began in 2014, the Ukrainian government and civil society made several attempts to formalize a transitional justice vision for the country. However, these efforts stalled after the full-scale invasion in 2022, due to not only the pressing demands of repelling it but also several prevalent myths about the applicability of transitional justice in the country.
Today, ICTJ is releasing a new report that urges the revitalization of Ukraine’s holistic transitional justice policymaking. The report, entitled “Myths and Ways Forward: Transitional Justice for Ukraine,” debunks the most common myths about transitional justice in Ukraine and presents the key legal, policy, and victim-centered arguments in favor of advancing a comprehensive transitional justice framework.
Several of these myths arise from outdated and oversimplified perspectives on transitional justice. For example, over many years, the conventional view within the field was that transitional justice could only be implemented after an autocratic regime fell or a conflict ended.
“Recent history demonstrates that transitional processes start when hostilities are still present, and the most conducive conditions for addressing massive violations may not yet be present,” explains Anna Myriam Roccatello, ICTJ’s deputy executive director and director of programs. “The tireless efforts of victims, in partnership with civil society, lay the crucial foundation upon which justice initiatives are built.”
As the report emphasizes, victims are also entitled to redress as early as possible, and urgent interim reparations are often necessary to help address victims’ most pressing issues that cannot wait until a ceasefire or peace agreement is signed. The report highlights a successful pilot interim reparations program for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Ukraine, which could be scaled up and integrated with other initiatives under a formal transitional justice framework.
“This program has provided a critical bridge, offering immediate economic and psychosocial support to survivors of conflict-related sexual violence,” says Kateryna Busol, the head of ICTJ’s Ukraine program and the report’s author. “Holistic support to survivors of war crimes is not a privilege, but their tangible right under international law.”
In the report, Busol sets out the main rationales for rejuvenating the country’s efforts to establish a national transitional justice policy. These include, among others, that such a policy would support Ukrainian victims who have been demanding justice for over a decade; guarantee that survivors from Russia’s aggression in Crimea and Donbas beginning in 2014 are equally entitled to redress; and ensure that principles of justice are included in the peace process.
“Atrocity survivors in Ukraine both require and demand holistic justice, which intricately combines reparations, truth-seeking, prosecutions, memorialization, and institutional reforms. Such a layered approach to accountability will soothe the interaction of Ukrainians with different war experiences, especially in occupation, and solidify Ukraine’s social cohesion,” stresses Busol. “It will also nourish transformative changes for the whole field of transitional justice, which are relevant for other contexts globally.”
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PHOTO: A participant in an ICTJ-organized high-level panel on Ukraine held in Brussels in April 2026 holds an advance copy of the new report. (Maria Margarita Rivera/ICTJ)
