Video: Attorney Shevchuk ran into Judge Kishakevich on the street following the scandal involving The Hague
Attorney Oleksiy Shevchuk ran into Supreme Court Justice and Ethics Council Chairman Lev Kishakevich on the street. The attorney decided to ask the judge in person about the high-profile case involving his candidacy for the position of judge at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
According to the attorney, he approached Kishakevych and asked why he had failed to pass the selection process for the International Criminal Court. Shevchuk also attempted to speak with the judge in English.
However, as the attorney claims, no conversation took place: Kishakevich continued walking and did not answer the question.
The story the lawyer was inquiring about made headlines in August of this year.
In April 2026, Lev Kishakevich was selected as Ukraine’s primary candidate for the position of judge at the International Criminal Court. The selection was conducted by a Ukrainian selection committee, which, after interviewing the candidates, gave preference to Kishakevich.
However, the ICC’s Advisory Committee on the Nomination of Judges subsequently evaluated the candidacy.
The committee’s report dated August 5 states that Kishakevich does not speak French and does not have a sufficient level of English to perform the duties of an ICC judge. Both languages are working languages of the Court.
The Committee also expressed regret that the candidate’s language skills, as demonstrated during the interview, did not allow for a proper assessment of his qualifications and suitability for the position. Consequently, Kishakevich was deemed not to meet the qualification requirements for appointment as a judge of the ICC.
Kishakevich remains a judge of the Supreme Court. In April 2026, he was also re-elected to the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court for a three-year term.
In addition, Kishakevich chairs the Ethics Council. The Council was established to assess the integrity and professional ethics of candidates for judicial governance bodies, and he was elected its chair back in 2021.
Source: Attorney Shevchuk’s social media accounts.
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