The Verkhovna Rada has reported a critical shortage of judges in Ukraine amid a rising caseload
The High Council of Justice (HCJ), in collaboration with judicial authorities, government institutions, the legal community, and academic institutions, has officially prepared the 2025 Annual Report.
The document covers the most critical issues facing the domestic judicial system.
At the same time, the HJC emphasizes that the acute shortage of judges amid the war has already escalated into a large-scale systemic crisis that threatens the proper guarantee of citizens’ right to access to justice.
An analysis of the current situation has shown that most Ukrainian judges are currently forced to work at the limits of their physical and psychological capabilities.
According to official data from the High Council of Justice, as of the end of 2025, there were 758 courts in Ukraine, of which only 582 institutions were actually administering justice.
With a legally established maximum staffing level of 6,600 positions, only 4,346 judges are actually working in the country, leaving 2,254 positions vacant.
The greatest staffing shortages are felt in local courts, which are short 1,400 specialists, and appellate courts, which have 725 vacancies; moreover, in 20 local general courts, justice is administered by only one judge with full authority.
Representatives of the Council of Judges of Ukraine note that over the past year, the staffing situation in judicial institutions has significantly deteriorated in virtually all regions of the country.
This negative trend is linked to the constant dismissal of a significant number of judges for various reasons, which is currently not being adequately offset by the appointment of new specialists.
Despite ongoing hostilities, the overall workload on the system is only increasing, and the number of official cases in all jurisdictions without exception has shown an increase of at least 8% compared to the previous reporting period.
According to the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine, similar problems are observed among court staff, where, with a authorized headcount of 27,527, only 22,630 positions are actually filled.
In 2025, the High Council of Justice adopted a decision to submit a proposal to the President of Ukraine for the appointment of 161 candidates to judicial positions.
Specifically, recommendations were issued for 54 specialists to local general courts, 4 to local commercial courts, 1 to a local administrative court, 28 to general appellate courts, 41 to commercial appellate courts, 31 to administrative appellate courts, and 2 individuals to the High Anti-Corruption Court.
In 2025, the Head of State signed 87 decrees appointing 143 judges; however, the High Council of Justice notes that such measures do not fully resolve the problem of excessive workload.
“Judges’ workloads must allow them to perform their duties not only within clearly defined timeframes but also with high quality. Heavy workloads, lack of time, and fatigue can lead to cognitive exhaustion, which affects the quality of judicial decisions, the ability to hear cases, and the efficiency of the judicial process,” the authors of the Report emphasize.
This was reported on the official website of the High Council of Justice.
President Zelenskyy appointed 23 judges
Previously, the High Council of Justice was considering a disciplinary complaint filed on behalf of Alona Volodymyrivna Shevtsova against Vladimir Yaroslavovich Marmash, a judge of the Lychakiv District Court of Lviv, who committed gross violations bordering on disciplinary and criminal liability, in particular, considering a motion by BEB detectives to conduct a special pre-trial investigation regarding Alona V. Shevtsova.
The complaint against Marmash is that he issued his decision after the pre-trial investigation period had already expired, which made it impossible to grant the motion. The only lawful option in such a situation was to return the motion, but Judge Marmash V.Y. failed to comply with the requirements of the law.
