Ukraine

PEJ started its work in Ukraine immediately after the outbreak of armed conflict in 2022. Ukrainian farmers have seen their land seized, their crops stolen, and their livelihoods systematically dismantled. PEJ investigates and documents these crimes and exposes the networks responsible, because unchecked pillage doesn't just harm farmers — it destabilizes markets, drives up food prices, and rewards those who profit from destruction. We investigate the destruction and pillage of Ukraine’s agricultural resources. Our core mission is to address atrocity crimes and create accountability by investigating the destruction and pillage of Ukraine’s agricultural resources.

Seeking Justice in Wartime

The Russia-Ukraine conflict escalated significantly in 2022. The agricultural sector has endured some of the greatest blows. It is the heart of the Ukrainian economy and a guarantor of the world’s food security. Ukrainian farmers have endured violent occupation, systematic pillage, and widespread destruction of their farms, fields, and livelihoods – impacts that will reverberate for years to come.

Building a bridge between the investigations and the agricultural communities in Ukraine, PEJ goes beyond mere legal support. We actively engage with farmers and agriculture business owners and address their specific needs and losses.

Beyond this, PEJ Ukraine is working on end-to-end support for law enforcement actors, prosecutors, judges, and victims. We respond to requests for help with an array of connected abuses, provide custom expert- and technical-based support, investigate suspicious activities, and collect data using traditional, technical, and open-source strategies.

We also investigate intersecting crimes, such as the environmental catastrophe and crime of the Kakhovka Dam’s destruction on June 6, 2023, and the role of Russian-appointed authorities in stealing resources in the Kherson Oblast.

Ultimately, it is the rule of law that will enable Ukraine to emerge as a free, safe, and prosperous society. PEJ aims to see this work through to the end – to foster an environment where knowledge-sharing and collaboration thrive and lay the groundwork for sustained economic resilience and justice.

Program Highlights

Documenting Destruction of Civilian and Economic Infrastructure

On June 6, 2023, Russia destroyed Ukraine’s Kakhovka Dam. On the one-year anniversary of this catastrophe, PEJ and partner Truth Hounds released a comprehensive report about this crime and its cataclysmic impacts.

Investigation of Pillage

In 2024, The Wall Street Journal recognized PEJ Ukraine’s work in “How Russia Profits From Ukraine Invasion by Selling Stolen Grain on a Global Black Market.”

Capacity Building

Trainings for law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges and development of a knowledge hub who now have the capacity to investigate and prosecute mass atrocity ending up in convictions.

Support for Investigators

Kharkiv war crimes project – PEJ Ukraine provides support to the Prosecutor for Crimea and the City of Sevastopol.

A white brick building with red flowers in front of it that has been partially destroyed by bombs in Ukraine

““We did not expect that there would be
anyone who would help companies like ours. This war has taken everything from us, and we cannot describe in words what a contribution you will make to us and our future.””

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