On 20 February 2026, the High Council of Justice received a decision of the Council of Judges of Ukraine determining the dates for holding the 20th Regular Congress of Judges of Ukraine after a recess.
The continuation of the 20th Regular Congress of Judges of Ukraine will take place on 10–12 March 2026 in Kyiv.
For security reasons, the exact venue of the Congress will be communicated to the delegates no later than two weeks prior to the date of the event.
The HCJ will submit motions to the President of Ukraine for the appointment of nine judges
The High Council of Justice adopted decisions to submit motions to the President of Ukraine for the appointment of judges to appellate and local courts, namely:
- Oleksii Kudenchuk — to the position of judge of the Zhytomyr Court of Appeal;
- Oleksandr Luhovets — to the position of judge of the Chernihiv Court of Appeal;
- Oleksandra Razhuliaieva — to the position of judge of the Chernihiv Court of Appeal;
- Oleksandr Liubchyk — to the position of judge of the Chernihiv Court of Appeal;
- Ivanna Okosten — to the position of judge of the Kovel City and District Court of Volyn Region;
- Nataliia Volkova — to the position of judge of the Zhytomyr Court of Appeal;
- Viktor Valiukh — to the position of judge of the Eighth Administrative Court of Appeal;
- Artem Sukhovarov — to the position of judge of the Central Commercial Court of Appeal;
- Ihor Maksymiv — to the position of judge of the Rozhniativ District Court of Ivano-Frankivsk Region.
Seven judges dismissed upon retirement
- Nataliia Moroz — from the position of judge of the Commercial Court of Lviv Region;
- Olena Busyk — from the position of judge of the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv;
- Svitlana Hrabets — from the position of judge of the Commercial Court of Kyiv Region;
- Svitlana Chudnykh — from the position of judge of the Kharkiv District Administrative Court;
- Larysa Shum — from the position of judge of the Sviatoshyn District Court of Kyiv;
- Oleksandr Yakovliev — from the position of judge of the Berdychiv City and District Court of Zhytomyr Region;
- Valentyna Berelet — from the position of judge of the Krynychky District Court of Dnipropetrovsk Region.
On 24 February 2026, the High Council of Justice adopted a decision to dismiss Viktoriia Yanchuk from the position of judge of the Korostyshiv District Court of Zhytomyr Region pursuant to paragraph 3 of part six of Article 126 of the Constitution of Ukraine.
The implementation of this procedure was carried out on the basis of a submission by the Third Disciplinary Chamber of the High Council of Justice, which decided to hold Viktoriia Yanchuk, judge of the Korostyshiv District Court of Zhytomyr Region, disciplinarily liable and to apply a disciplinary sanction in the form of a submission for dismissal from office.
On 24 February 2026, the High Council of Justice adopted a decision to dismiss Dmytro Makharynets from the position of judge of the Rivne District Administrative Court pursuant to paragraph 3 of part six of Article 126 of the Constitution of Ukraine.
The implementation of this procedure was carried out on the basis of a submission by the Second Disciplinary Chamber of the High Council of Justice, which decided to hold Dmytro Makharynets, judge of the Rivne District Administrative Court, disciplinarily liable and to apply a disciplinary sanction in the form of a submission for dismissal from office.
The President of Ukraine approved the HCJ’s submissions on the appointment of 26 judges
By Decrees of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy dated 24 February 2026 Nos. 162/2026–179/2026, 26 judges were appointed to appellate and local courts.
Judge Yevhenii Ablov of the Kyiv District Administrative Court was temporarily suspended from the administration of justice pursuant to a decision of the Third Disciplinary Chamber of the High Council of Justice.
The decision to hold the judge disciplinarily liable and to apply a disciplinary sanction in the form of a submission for dismissal from office was adopted by the Third Disciplinary Chamber of the High Council of Justice on 25 February 2026.
The term of the judge’s suspension from the administration of justice remains in effect until the High Council of Justice adopts a decision on his dismissal from office or revokes the decision of the Disciplinary Chamber.
This decision was taken because a repeated application by the Prosecutor General or his/her deputy for the temporary suspension of a judge from the administration of justice in connection with criminal prosecution, or for the extension of the term of such suspension with respect to a judge within the same criminal proceeding, is not permitted, except in cases where the previous decision of the High Council of Justice has been set aside by a court (Part 6 of Article 64 of the Law of Ukraine “On the High Council of Justice”).
The judge is suspected of violating traffic safety rules by a person driving a vehicle, which resulted in the death of the victim, i.e., committing an offense предусмотрено by Part 2 of Article 286 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
In order to ensure judicial independence and the authority of justice through adequate funding and proper conditions for the functioning of courts, bodies, and institutions of the justice system in 2027–2029, the High Council of Justice adopted an address to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on 26 February 2026.
The address sets out proposals regarding priority tasks for the financial support of the judiciary and guarantees of its independence for 2027–2029.
Deputy Head of the High Council of Justice Oksana Kvasha took part in Round Table No. 4 entitled “Strengthening Independent Justice and Good Governance to Ensure Democratic Resilience” within the framework of preparing the new Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Democratic Security for Ukraine” for 2027–2030.
The event was part of a series of consultations with national partners aimed at shaping strategic priorities for cooperation in the next program period.
During the discussion, Deputy Head of the High Council of Justice Oksana Kvasha emphasized that judicial disciplinary responsibility remains one of the key areas of activity of the High Council of Justice. In this field, the Council traditionally maintains close and constructive cooperation with the Council of Europe.
In addition, Oksana Kvasha raised the issue of resuming work on the creation of a Ukrainian–English database of decisions of Ukrainian courts in cases concerning war crimes.