A European Union-funded project has documented more than 100,000 incidents of war crimes and other international crimes committed during Russia's aggression against Ukraine, according to a press release from the EU Delegation to Ukraine on 7 July 2026. The project, launched on 6 July in Lviv, is implemented by the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, ADC Memorial Brussels, the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, and the Centre for Civil Liberties. Asier Santillan, Head of the European Integration, Governance and Rule of Law, Civil Society Section of the EU Delegation to Ukraine, stated: "EU goal is clear: truth will be established, justice will be done, and there will be no escape for war criminals." The EU contributed 720,000 euros to the 24-month project.
Since the beginning of Russia's aggression in 2014, Ukrainian civil society organisations have been key actors in documenting international crimes, collecting victims' testimonies, recording human rights violations, and submitting materials to national and international justice mechanisms. The scale of this work increased dramatically after the full-scale invasion in 2022. The project aims to support victims, establish the fate of missing persons, and preserve historical memory. Yevhen Zakharov, Director of the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, noted that the most challenging task is locating where Ukrainian prisoners of war and unlawfully detained civilians are being held. Oleksandr Pavlichenko, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, emphasised that a key objective is to assist Ukrainian law enforcement in investigating alleged war crimes at national and international levels.
Oleksandra Matviichuk, Head of the Centre for Civil Liberties, stressed the importance of international solidarity, saying: "Russia's goal is to destroy the Ukrainian state and all Ukrainians who defend and support their country. We must ensure that people around the world understand the nature of this war and continue to support Ukraine." The next stage of the project includes a specialised seminar on 7-8 July in Lviv focusing on methodologies for interviewing children about violations of their rights during the war. Stefaniia Kulaieva, researcher at ADC Memorial Brussels, noted that children's views must be heard in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The project benefits Ukrainian civil society organisations, victims of war crimes, and international justice mechanisms. It imposes no direct costs on EU businesses or consumers, as it is funded through the EU budget. The documentation supports accountability efforts, potentially deterring future violations, but requires sustained international funding and expertise.