NaUKMA Master’s students complete the Criminal Investigation Standards course
Developing a new generation of legal professionals is a key investment in the future of Ukraine’s criminal justice system. That is why JustGroup consistently implements educational programs for students, ensuring that modern approaches and standards are introduced at the earliest stages of their professional growth.
In 2024, we launched the Investigative Interviewing course for students at law schools. And this academic year, for the first time, we introduced the course “Criminal Investigation Standards” at the Faculty of Law of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
“Working with students is a special priority for us. On the one hand, we want to foster a culture in which practitioners come to universities, and on the other, we want students to have access to innovative courses that focus not just on new information, but also on a deeper understanding of systems and the connections within them,” emphasises Vasylyna Yavorska, Head of JustGroup. ‘It is young lawyers who will shape the future of the criminal justice system. For us, it is essential to cultivate their interest in the system as a whole and strengthen their understanding of the standards on which it must be built.”
About the Course
Over October–November 2025, master’s students worked in a blended format: 8 lectures, 7 seminars, group discussions, and practical assignments. Some lectures were open to bachelor students, bringing up to 45 participants together in a mixed learning format.
A key feature of the course was the involvement of practitioners from across the criminal justice system, who delivered sessions and shared experience based on real cases. Among the instructors were judges, prosecutors, detectives, and heads of anti-corruption and law-enforcement institutions, including:
- Vira Mykhailenko, President and Judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court
- Kostiantyn Shalota, Judge of the Korolyov District Court of Zhytomyr
- Oleksandr Tsyvinskyi, Director of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine
- Yurii Bielousov, Deputy Director of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine
- Denys Hiulmahomedov, First Deputy Director of NABU
- Nazar Kulchytskyi, Advocate, Partner at Nazar Kulchytskyy & Partners Law Firm
- Iryna Samborska, Prosecutor, Office of the Prosecutor General
- Ihor Polshchykov, Prosecutor, Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office
- Viktoriia Livochka, Prosecutor, Sviatoshyn District Prosecutor’s Office of Kyiv
The course covered the logic and sequence of the pre-trial investigation, focusing on the following key topics: the initiation of proceedings; detention; the collection and admissibility of evidence; the notification of suspicion; the application of preventive measures; the closure of the investigation; and the planning and effectiveness of the investigative process.
This helped students see criminal procedure not only through the lens of legislation, but through systemic practical logic: resource allocation, teamwork, the role of each actor, and the impact of humanity on the quality of justice.
What Students Say
“A very rich and practical course, where every lecturer is a respected professional, genuinely interested and open to discussion. The course forces you to think about real problems of criminal justice, to take a position and defend it during seminars. The involvement of an entire group of practitioners and the focus on the most important and detailed issues of criminal procedure truly set this course apart — something we have not had at Mohylanka before.”
— Liubomyr Bahan
“After this course, I see pre-trial investigation not as an abstract set of rules but as a living process with real challenges, which invited practitioners spoke openly about based on their own cases.”
— Anna Nikolaychuk
“This course changed my perception of pre-trial investigation. Its multidimensional nature, which I came to understand during the course, is undoubtedly crucial for any practising lawyer. It was valuable not only to study the legislation but also to explore practical issues far beyond its boundaries — such as the resources of investigative bodies. Overall, the course was exciting, and the opportunity to learn from distinguished experts inspired further development in this field.”
— Mykyta Lebedev
What the Trainers Say
“As a trainer, I am repeatedly convinced of one simple truth: if we want a different criminal justice system, we must start with young people. With those who have not yet learned to accept distorted rules of the game as normal. Students still feel injustice; they are not yet ‘flattened’ by practice, not accustomed to compromises at the expense of fairness, and do not perceive the phrase ‘we’ve always done it this way’ as an explanation. This is not naivety — it is the ability to see fundamental principles that are often lost among formal procedures, performance metrics, and justifications rooted in ‘public necessity’. Throughout the program, participants demonstrated what the system frequently lacks: inner ethics, rejection of cynicism, and a sincere desire to understand, rather than mechanically perform. You can already see in these young people what criminal justice must begin with: demanding excellence from oneself, having empathy for others, interest in substance rather than form, and a desire to make decisions that serve not only the letter but also the spirit of the law.”
— Vira Mykhailenko, President and Judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court
Why This Matters
The Criminal Investigation Standards course is not only about understanding provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code. It is about grasping the logic of the investigative process, developing skills to work with evidence, seeing the role of each participant, cooperating as a team, and making professional decisions that build trust in the justice system.
We are grateful to the Faculty of Law of NaUKMA for their partnership and openness to joint educational initiatives. We believe that such programs lay the foundation for meaningful change in the future professional community.
Photo: Anna Putylina
