On 10 December, the Ambassador of Ukraine, Iryna Venediktova, delivered a lecture for the International Criminal Law course at HSG SQUARE, St. Gallen.

The Ambassador focused on one of the most complex and painful issues—the investigation of war crimes. The discussion addressed:

• how the first war crimes investigations were organized immediately after 24 February 2022;

• the cooperation that was established with international partners;

• the legal and technical instruments that had to be created from scratch—mechanisms that previously did not exist in either Ukrainian or international law.

A particularly powerful quote that invites reflection was shared:

“International law is a system designed for a world that no longer exists.”

And a rhetorical question posed at the end, leaving no one indifferent:

“What should we do when the fastest path to peace is unjust, and the path to justice does not promise quick peace?”

This was a deep and honest analysis of the real challenges Ukraine is facing today.

We sincerely thank Prof. Leena Grover for the substantive discussion and her principled stance.