“The full -scale invasion of Russia was not only a challenge for the Ukrainian law enforcement system, but also the impetus to intensify international cooperation. What previously worked as a formal mechanism has now become one of the key tools in the fight against war crimes, corruption and cyberattacks.”, – WRITE: www.pravda.com.ua
Challenges caused by war, including the search and collection of assets of sub -persons; issuance of persons who committed war crimes in the territory of Ukraine or supported Russian aggression; The effective investigation of cybercrime, as well as the investigation of corruption crimes, optimized and intensified the cooperation between Ukraine and a number of states. In view of this, Ukraine continues to actively conclude cooperation agreements with foreign partners.
For example:
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- In 2022, a joint investigation group was created to investigate the aggression of the Russian Federation and its military crimes in the territory of Ukraine (JOINT INVESTIGATION TEAM (JIT)), among which are Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Ukraine. Also in 2023, Europol joined the group.
- In 2023, the European Prosecutor’s Office and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine signed a cooperation agreement in order to increase the efficiency of investigations and prevent corruption schemes, and in 2024 similar memorandums and arrangements the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine was concluded Japanese Agency of International Cooperation, etc.
- The State Bureau of Investigation in its report for 2024 also announced cooperation with law enforcement agencies of other countries, including the Office of the General Inspector of the US Department of Defense, the Police and Border Guard Department of the Estonian Republic, the European Investment Bank.
The numbers speak for themselves The statistics outlined in the reports of the Prosecutor General for 2021 – the first half of 2025, show that compared to 2021 after the full -scale intruding of dynamics in the application of mechanisms of international cooperation has increased. Yes:
- In 2021, Ukraine submitted 550 requests about international assistance,
- In 2022-already 1002 (almost twice as much),
- In 2024- 805,
- In the first half of 2025 – Already 388.
In turn, requests for international cooperation in criminal proceedings:
- 2021 – 550 requests
- 2022 – 1002 requests
- 2023 – 612 requests
- 2024 – 805 requests
- the first half of 2025 – 388 requests
Requests for legal assistance in procedural actions:
- 2021 – 484 requests
- 2022 – 388 requests (330)
- 2023 – 456 requests (405)
- 2024 – 574 requests (416 performed)
- the first half of 2025 – 225 requests.
Despite the lack of clear annual dynamics, we see that after 2022, international cooperation in criminal proceedings has become much more active than a full -scale invasion. If a sharp surge in 2022 is explained by the emergency needs of the full -scale war, then in the following years there was a gradual settlement and institutionalization of these mechanisms. At the same time, the content of requests has changed, and more and more they are concerning war crimes, corruption schemes, financial fraud and money laundering that require more complex and deeper international interaction.
It was the intensification of mechanisms of international cooperation between law enforcement agencies that, on the basis of the agreements concluded between the states in 2024, allowed the Security Service of Ukraine and the Prosecutor General’s Office in cooperation with the law enforcement officers of the Republic of Poland to identify and detain the Russian agent, which contributed to the military intelligence.
Moreover, thanks to the cooperation of NABU and the SAP with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine and the Department of Criminal Terror and the Murder of the Metropolitan Police Department of the Republic of Poland, within the framework of the mechanism of international legal aid in 2024 in the territory of Ukraine and the Republic of Poland, it was possible to conduct searches in the framework of criminal proceedings for 202222
In 2025, the operation of the Joint Investigative Group (JIT) of the Security Service of Ukraine and law enforcement officers of the Czech Republic, which managed to eliminate the underground call center, which stole the citizens of the European Union using viral programs and fake investment platforms.
In the same year, the Security Service, together with the External Intelligence Service of Ukraine and Polish law enforcement officers, detained the Russian propagandist, who was engaged in glorification of the Russian Federation at the instructions of the occupiers and discredited Ukraine in the international arena. The assistance of the aggressor state was to conduct subversive activities against Ukraine, in particular by organizing in the territory of the EU shares of support for Russia and the preparation of terrorist attacks in Ukraine.
Therefore, the above examples indicate a positive trend in the use of international cooperation in criminal proceedings. Ukrainian law enforcement agencies receive support from foreign partners, and the level of execution remains high. Such a mechanism proved its effectiveness primarily in cases of military criminals, the accomplices of Russian aggression and in the fight against transnational crime.
However, even such positive achievements in cooperation between Ukrainian and foreign law enforcement agencies usually leave unresolved gaps for the side of protection. Yes, such aspects for the defense side are unregulated and problematic as:
- Imbalance in the process: The prosecution has access to a wide range of information obtained through international channels, while protection is often limited in the possibility of familiarization with these materials.
- Advocates access to evidence: Documents and data received within the framework of international legal aid are usually concentrated on the prosecution, which complicates the formation of a full -fledged protection line.
- Assessment of the admissibility of evidence: Different standards in different states. This creates difficulties for the Ukrainian courts in determining whether such evidence complies with the requirements of belonging, admissibility and reliability provided for in the CPC of Ukraine. As a result, the defense party is often devoid of real appeal tools.
- Organizational barriers: delays in proceedings through long international workflow, complexity of communication through a language barrier and mark Legal procedures.
In addition, it should be borne in mind that although international legal assistance is an important mechanism in pursuing military criminals and corruption schemes, sometimes this tool can be used for doubtful or politically motivated persecution. This creates the risks of abuse and once again emphasizes the need for clear guarantees of the rights of the defense party and transparent mechanisms of verifying the legality of such actions.
Summing up, International cooperation between law enforcement agencies of Ukraine and foreign partners has become one of the key tools in the fight against military crimes, corruption, cybercrime and other forms of transnational crime. Thanks to the operational exchange of information and coordinated actions, not only managed to detain military criminals and agents of Russia, but also to reveal large -scale corruption and financial schemes, as well as to protect EU citizens from cybershachra. This confirms the effectiveness of international legal assistance tools in the realities of military challenges. At the same time, problematic aspects cannot be ignored. Despite the obvious results, international cooperation in criminal proceedings is often accompanied by an imbalance of procedural capabilities: the prosecution gets wider access to information, while protection has limited tools to work with it. The situation is complicated by differences in the legal standards of different countries, prolonged bureaucratic procedures, language and cultural barriers, as well as issues of personal data protection. An additional threat is cases where international mechanisms can be applied not for the sake of justice, but for politically motivated or other persecution.
Author – Anastasia DidenkoAdvisor of LCF Law Group
Co -author – Anastasia Savchukyounger lawyer LCF legal group
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