February 24, 2022, was a Thursday. It was a normal working day, but we woke up to news of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It was an existential shock, reminding us of the darkest pages in the history of Latvia and of our families. In that situation, each of us had to think of what we could do, both individually and as a nation.

Already on February 25 our Judicial Council adopted a resolution in support of Ukraine on the protection of democratic values and sovereignty in Ukraine, condemning Russia's invasion. We immediately contacted the leadership of the Supreme Court of Ukraine and promised them any assistance we could provide. At that time, it was still unclear what would happen to Kyiv, and the new Supreme Court judges with weapons in their hands were guarding the court buildings. In consultation with our consul in Kyiv, we discussed a possible evacuation plan for the Supreme Court of Ukraine. Fortunately, thanks to the city's defenders, this plan was not implemented. However, the contacts established during the crisis were deepened in another way – by jointly considering Ukraine's European integration process and the reforms to be carried out in the justice sector in this context because Ukraine did not come to a standstill and, perhaps, in times of the deepest crisis, a vision of the future was especially important.

In parallel with cooperation with the Supreme Court of Ukraine, contacts were also established with the High Council of Justice of Ukraine. The initial task was to achieve Ukraine's admission to the ENCJ (European Network of Councils for the Judiciary) as an observer. This goal was achieved in June 2023. Since then, Ukrainian colleagues have had access to the EU Member States and Candidate Countries Forum, where they can learn about the latest developments in the organization of the judicial system in Europe, share their experiences, and establish contacts in EU Member States through Forum’s working groups and seminars.

Last year was abundant in international activities for our Judicial Council – in June, we hosted the ENCJ General Assembly in Riga, which was also attended by the Chair of the High Council of Justice of Ukraine, Hryhoriy Usyk, and in October, we welcomed a delegation led by Mr Usyk. We exchanged information about the work of our countries' judicial systems and discussed topical issues relating to Ukraine's European integration. At our request, the Ukrainian colleagues introduced the Latvian representatives from the Supreme Court, the Judicial Council, the Prosecutor General's Office, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Defence with reports on the work of the Ukrainian court system and the development of Ukrainian criminal law and criminal procedure law during the war, also providing a comparative analysis of the legal provisions in force in Latvia.

Today, to mark the fourth anniversary of the war, we are publishing a speech of Judge of the Supreme Court of Ukraine, Natalia Antoniuk.

In a recently published video address, renowned historian Timothy Snyder said that because Ukrainians are fighting, we can do other things. We can live our lives. They are buying us time. They are creating a space in which we can make choices. That is why we owe them. Let us think about it.

This time is the most precious credit that has been given to us as a country and to each of us individually. And we must not simply let it go to waste. Let us learn from Ukraine’s experience so that we are prepared for possible challenges, while at the same time making every effort to prevent them.

Solvita Harbaceviča

Adviser to the President of the Supreme Court on Judicial Council Matters

 

The development of criminal law in Ukraine during the war – insights and recommendations for Latvia

Dr. Natalia Antoniuk, Deputy Chair and Secretary of the First Criminal Cassation Chamber of the Supreme Court of Ukraine, spoke at the seminar “Strengthening the rule of law in challenging times: Dialogue between Latvian and Ukrainian judiciaries” which took place on October 6, 2025, in Riga, at the Supreme Court of Latvia.