Rebuild Ukraine Forum 2026 / Panel XIb / 23 October 2026

The panel explored mechanisms for holding Russia accountable for its war of aggression against Ukraine, examining international criminal justice, sanctions, reparations and the use of frozen Russian assets. Andrea Matačić Cayley highlighted the importance of accountability in addressing war crimes, strengthening legal institutions and supporting Ukraine’s alignment with European standards. She emphasised the unprecedented scale of investigations in Ukraine and the need for complementary legal mechanisms, including universal jurisdiction, to ensure that perpetrators can be prosecuted. Zera Kozlyieva discussed the work of documenting Russian war crimes, stressing the importance of identifying systematic patterns of attacks and their broader consequences for civilian communities, healthcare, energy infrastructure and the environment, and underlined the value of international cooperation, joint investigations, universal jurisdiction and civil claims in pursuing justice.

Franziska Ofiera explained that sanctions complement criminal justice by pressuring Russia to end the war, restricting access to critical technologies, reducing energy revenues and targeting individuals and companies supporting its military efforts. Titus Corlățean emphasised the need to prosecute the crime of aggression alongside war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, highlighting ongoing efforts to establish a special tribunal, advance international compensation mechanisms and use frozen Russian assets to support reparations. Igor Burakovsky focused on the practical implementation of sanctions, the potential use of frozen Russian assets and the growing number of Ukrainian companies seeking compensation for wartime losses, stressing that sanctions should remain in place until there is meaningful accountability.

In the discussion, speakers examined universal jurisdiction as a potentially faster route to justice and the challenges of holding private companies responsible for contributing to war crimes. The panel concluded by stressing the importance of enforcing existing sanctions, maintaining international cooperation and ensuring that immobilised Russian assets remain available to support Ukraine and compensate for the damage caused by the war.