Taras Leshkovych

Institution: Ukrainian Catholic University

Period of stay: 28 April 2025 - 4 July 2025

Contact: taras.leshkovych@ucu.edu.ua

Profile: 

Taras Leshkovych is a Ukrainian lawyer specialising in international law and human rights, with a particular focus on international criminal law, international humanitarian law, and transitional justice. He is a senior lecturer at the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine.

Apart from his academic involvement, Taras has worked at the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, Geneva Call, the Council of Europe, and the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.

Research Area:

Public international law, international criminal law

Research Title:

International Law and Accountability for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine

Research Outline:

After the beginning of the full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine, the world’s attention has been brought upon Ukraine, including the attention of international law academic community. Following the full-scale Russian aggression, active discussions regarding the possibility to establish a special tribunal focusing on this crime have begun. Nowadays, a coalition of states known as the Core Group of Friends of Accountability has been set up and is actively negotiating the establishment of the special tribunal.

My research project focuses on the ongoing discussions regarding international legal accountability for aggression. More specifically, on the legal issues concerning possible establishment of the Special Tribunal for the Russian Aggression against Ukraine, including the existing proposals concerning the model of such Tribunal – e.g. establishment by the UN GA resolution, established under the Council of Europe or EU umbrella, through a multilateral treaty by the coalition of the willing states. The project focus on both legal and political constraints of each proposal, e.g. on the issue of the Tribunal’s legitimacy, relation to the immunities of heads of states, practical considerations of the Tribunal’s work, as well as limitations of domestic prosecutions under the Ukrainian law.

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