11 June 2026

The Mission held a meeting with Nicolas Ligneul, who represents victims at the International Criminal Court 

On June 11, the Mission’s team held a working meeting with Nicolas Ligneul, a doctor of law and Counsel at the International Criminal Court, admitted to plead and represent victims at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

The meeting was attended by Denys Chystikov, Deputy Permanent Representative, Liudmyla Shevchuk, Deputy Head of the Department for the De-occupation and Reintegration of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Anatolii Chekhun, Deputy Head of the Legal Department, and Tetiana Nepomiashcha, Chief Consultant to the Crimea Platform Department.

During the meeting, the parties discussed possible areas of cooperation for protecting the rights of victims of the Russian aggression in Ukraine. In this context, Denys Chystikov informed about the work of the Mission and the current situation in the temporarily occupied Crimea. He spoke about politically motivated persecution on the peninsula, numbers of political prisoners and victims, as well as initiatives to support them, including through the Mentorship program.  

According to Denys Chystikov, in 2022 Russia added articles for the so-called discrediting of the Russian Armed Forces to its criminal and administrative legislation, which has become an additional tool for repression. The parties paid particular attention to the problem of the militarization and indoctrination of Ukrainian children in the temporarily occupied territories. 

In turn, Nicolas Ligneul outlined the key areas of his work, specifically discussing the filing of complaints with the International Criminal Court on behalf of victims of the Russian Federation’s armed aggression against Ukraine. To date, he has prepared and submitted approximately three thousand such applications. He also highlighted the possibility of representing the interests of residents of the temporarily occupied Crimean Peninsula at the ICC.