29 April 2026
On 24 April 2026, a series of meetings were held in Lutsk, attended by judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and representatives of the judiciary of the Republic of Estonia. The delegation from the Constitutional Court of Ukraine comprised Constitutional Court judges Oksana Hryshchuk, Alla Oliinyk, Serhiy Riznyk and Petro Filiuk, as well as Assistant to a Judge of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine Oleksandr Poberezhnyi and Deputy Head of the Department of Communications of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and International Cooperation of the Secretariat of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine, Iryna Shevchenko.
The Estonian delegation was represented by the President of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Estonia, Villu Kõve; a justice of the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Estonia Paavo Randma, a judge of the Criminal Chamber of the Tallinn Court of Appeal Pavel Gontšarov, Head of the Viru Circuit Court Priit Kama, Assistant to the Estonian Prosecutor General, Estonian Prosecutor’s Office Taavi Pern, Director of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Estonia Üllar Kaljumäe; and Adviser at the Legal Information and Judicial Training Department of the Supreme Court of Estonia Madis Metelitsa.
The programme of the event included a series of meetings attended by, among others, Acting Head of the Volyn Oblast Military Administration Roman Romaniuk, Chairman of the Volyn Oblast Council Hryhoriy Nedopad, Supreme Court Judge Viktor Ostapuk, Chairman of the Volyn Oblast Court of Appeal Vasyl Podoliuk, Deputy Chairman of the Volyn Oblast Court of Appeal Viktor Haponchuk, Chairman of the Lutsk City and District Court of Volyn Oblast Anatoliy Pakholiuk, Deputy Chairwoman of the Lutsk City and District Court of Volyn Oblast Olesia Kalkova, Head of the Territorial Administration of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine in Volyn Oblast Nataliia Kotsyriy, First Deputy Head of the Volyn Oblast Prosecutor’s Office Albert Shapovalov, Head of the Lutsk District Prosecutor’s Office Oleksandr Hladiy, and Head of the Territorial Administration of the Judicial Guard Service in Volyn Oblast Volodymyr Siuva.
During the meetings, participants examined practical aspects of how state authorities and the judicial system operate under martial law, along with challenges related to investigating crimes against humanity and threats to international security.
Particular attention was given to the professional exchange between judges of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine and representatives of the Estonian judiciary. Discussions centred on strengthening the rule of law, safeguarding judicial independence, and exploring the role of constitutional justice in protecting human rights and freedoms during martial law.
The parties underscored the importance of further advancing institutional dialogue and deepening bilateral cooperation to ensure an effective response to contemporary challenges in the field of justice.
As part of the visit, a meeting was also held with Archbishop Mykhail of Lutsk and Volyn.
