Restorative justice in Ukraine: how alternative mechanisms are transforming criminal proceedings

Can criminal justice be not only punitive but also restorative? This prospect was discussed during the workshop ‘Alternative and Restorative Measures in Criminal Proceedings’, which took place on 22–23 April 2026 in Kyiv.

The event was supported by the European Union Advisory Mission in Ukraine (EUAM) and brought together trainers from the National School of Judges of Ukraine, the Training Centre for Prosecutors of Ukraine and the Coordination Centre for Legal Aid Provision.

The main objective is to enhance participants’ professional competence in the application of alternative and restorative mechanisms in criminal proceedings, which are being increasingly adopted in European legal systems.

International and Ukrainian experts took part in the workshop. Among them were Anu Valimaki, Senior Legal Reform Adviser at the EUAM and Judge at the Päijät-Häme District Court; Nelli Carrico, Senior Legal Adviser on War Crimes Investigations at the EUAM; and Khrystyna Fedunyshyn, a lawyer at the Council of Europe’s Department for the Execution of Judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. Ukrainian judicial practice was represented by judges Mykhailo Odariuk, Viktor Kapitonov, Oleksandr Strelnikov, Anastasiia Mykhalchenko and Olha Boiko.

The focus was on practical tools that could transform the approach to criminal proceedings: the use of mediation and plea agreements, alternatives to pre-trial detention, the development of restorative justice, and taking into account the case law of the European Court of Human Rights.

Participants also analysed international experience and discussed how these approaches could be adapted within the Ukrainian legal system.

The workshop served as a platform for professional dialogue and the exchange of experience. Based on its outcomes, participants developed recommendations for the further development of alternative mechanisms in criminal proceedings.

Such initiatives demonstrate that modern justice is moving towards more flexible and humane approaches, where not only punishment but also the restoration of justice plays an important role.