Ukrainian Legal Advisory Group (ULAG) is a civil society organization that works in the field of justice in the context of armed conflict. ULAG lawyers represent victims in national and international courts, conduct legal analysis, and work with archives. Their work also includes advocacy, analytical, and advisory activities. All of this is aimed at strengthening the justice system so that it becomes more capable of prosecuting the most serious international crimes.
“We have several thematic areas of work. One of them, in particular, is the development of infrastructure, including documentation,” explains Arie Mora, Communications and Advocacy Manager at the Ukrainian Legal Advisory Group.
“That is, we make efforts to ensure that there is proper infrastructure in Ukraine for dealing with the most serious international crimes: so that people correctly collect, store, and process information in accordance with international standards. It is important that this information can later potentially be used as evidence in court. We handle so‑called strategic cases — that is, we represent victims in order to use these cases to change the justice system and highlight certain problems. We also address issues related to the architecture of justice, its standards, as well as compensation and reparations.”
Before the full‑scale invasion, most of the cases handled by ULAG lawyers were related to prisoners of war; afterwards, the scope of work expanded significantly. In addition to prisoners of war, the organization works with survivors of sexual violence, cases of deportation of Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation, killings, and other crimes committed against civilians during the war.
Arie Mora notes that there are basic rules, adherence to which significantly increases the reliability and future usefulness of documented information in achieving justice.
What should be documented?
Before delving into the basics of international criminal law, it is important to understand what constitutes a war crime and what types of violations occur during war. Although war itself is a horrific phenomenon, there are certain rules designed to reduce the number and scale of tragic consequences of armed conflicts.
“For example, shelling a residential building when civilians live or may have lived there, and when there is reliable information about this, is a violation. But shelling a residential building where no one is present except military personnel may not be a violation. It may be a legitimate target, because attacking the opposing side in accordance with international humanitarian law is permitted. There are many such rules, but there are the most common events we encounter in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Based on this, it is necessary to determine what exactly constitutes a crime, and what and how should be documented in order to later prove this crime in court,” says Arie Mora.
When documenting the consequences of shelling, it is important to record the crater and try to determine its size. If there are remnants of weapons, attention should also be paid to them. If the building was considered a protected object — for example, a cultural heritage site or a hospital — it is important to photograph signs or other elements that could confirm this.
“Such actions help establish that the target of the attack was a protected object. Accordingly, it should not have been attacked,” he explains.
How to document properly
According to Arie Mora, even a smartphone is sufficient for documentation — it can be used to take photos and videos that may be useful in court for data analysis.
“Although this may not become key evidence in court, such information can help establish the circumstances and provide more information for investigators or lawyers who will analyze the case.”
It is recommended to take a panoramic shot, as well as photos at wide, medium, and close range in order to capture both the overall scene and the specific object of interest. It is also important to show the relationship of the object to surrounding objects so that it is clear what happened at the location. When filming video, record smoothly and slowly to preserve quality.
It is also important not to lose the collected material, so it is best to immediately save at least two copies of the original: one in cloud storage and one on a physical medium.
“If you follow these guidelines, there is a higher likelihood that the information you collect will be reliable, verifiable, and connectable to other information. Your material will be informative and contain exactly the data that will be important for analyzing events,” Arie Mora stresses.
The significance of the documentary “20 Days in Mariupol”
“Films such as ‘20 Days in Mariupol’ are undoubtedly important because they contain information obtained in a unique way. Many people did not have access to these events, and therefore obtaining this information in any other way could be impossible,” Arie Mora emphasizes. “From the perspective of justice, any such information and footage can help establish the broader picture of events and provide additional context.”
From an advocacy and justice perspective, the film’s Academy Award brought global attention to Russia’s actions in Mariupol. Arie Mora hopes public resonance will contribute to building a comprehensive justice architecture for crimes committed during the Russian‑Ukrainian war.
Prepared by:
Researcher and author: Vira Labych
Literary editor: Yuliia Futei
Photo editor: Viacheslav Ratynskyi
