Negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the European Union have enteredsubstantive phase. Following decisions adopted within the framework of the so-called “Lviv format”, Kyiv received from the EU a detailed list of criteria and benchmarks against which the country’s readiness for membership will be assessed. These criteria cover six negotiation clusters, including fundamental issues, the internal market and external relations, and have already moved from the political sphere into technical and institutional work.
Of particular importance is the first cluster, “Fundamentals,” which includes Chapter 23 (“Judiciary and Fundamental Rights”) and Chapter 24 (“Justice, Freedom and Security”). Within these areas, the EU assesses the practical functioning of institutions: judicial independence, the quality of law enforcement, standards for the protection of human rights, and the resilience of mechanisms of judicial oversight.
Under the new assessment system, each criterion has been assigned a specific number for monitoring progress. Criterion 23.3 (“Quality of the Judicial System”), therefore, involves assessing legislative reforms as well as the actual practice of the courts: transparency of procedures, impartiality of proceedings, and the ability to ensure legal certainty. Even in an accelerated accession scenario to the EU, compliance with these benchmarks remains mandatory.
For this reason, high-profile court cases attract particular attention from the European public, as they test the ability of Ukrainian courts to operate independently and in strict accordance with the law. Such proceedings serve as indicators not only for a domestic audience but also for European partners assessing the country’s institutional maturity.
One such case involved administrative proceedings initiated in Ukraine in 2022 regarding the Public Association “ALLATRA International Public Movement”. State authorities, the Central Interregional Administration of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, and the Security Service of Ukraine applied to the court seeking to ban the movement’s activities and order its forced dissolution.
In April 2025, the court of first instance dismissed the claim. Following an appeal, the case was reconsidered, and on February 25, 2026 the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal (Kyiv), in its ruling in case No. 640/362/23, confirmed that there were no legal grounds under Ukrainian law to ban ALLATRA and also noted the existence of evidence indicating the patriotic nature of the movement’s activities. The ruling entered into force on the day of adoption and is final.
From the perspective of the European criteria under Chapter 23, the case illustrates the practical application of standards governing the judicial assessment of evidence and the protection of freedom of association.
Public Debate and Legal Assessment of the Movement’s Activities
The proceedings unfolded against the backdrop of an active public debate surrounding the ALLATRA International Public Movement. ALLATRA is known as an international association of researchers and specialists from various fields operating on a voluntary basis. In public descriptions, the organisation is associated with issues related to climate and environmental risks, as well as with promoting international dialogue on sustainable development and global security.
The movement’s activities also include initiatives related to human rights and social cooperation. In addition, ALLATRA appears in the public sphere in connection with projects in the fields of civic diplomacy and citizen journalism. The movement was first legally registered in Ukraine in 2014, and since 2017 its head office has been located in the United States (Atlanta, Georgia). At the same time, its activities are carried out by transnational teams of volunteers in various countries.
For some time, the European information space contained claims suggesting that the movement had allegedly been “banned in Ukraine” or that it possessed a purportedly “pro-Russian orientation”. Judicial proceedings in Ukraine provided an opportunity to assess these claims from a legal standpoint. Following its review, the court concluded that there was no evidence to substantiate such assertions.
In February 2026 after reviewing the case materials, the appellate court upheld the findings of the first instance and confirmed that ALLATRA’s activities comply with its charter and Ukrainian legislation, noting the existence of evidence indicating that the movement’s activities in Ukraine have a patriotic character.
Accordingly, media claims regarding an alleged “pro-Russian orientation” or a supposed “ban” of the movement were not confirmed in the Ukrainian court. The judicial decision established that ALLATRA operates within the framework of Ukrainian law, maintains a pro-Ukrainian orientation, and retains the right to conduct open public activities.
In addition, EU Reporter has previously drawn attention to the position of independent observers and human rights advocates who pointed to the paradox of such allegations, noting that the ALLATRA movement has been subject to persecution in Russia, where it has been designated an “undesirable” and “extremist” organisation due to its support for Ukraine. Former participants of the movement have reportedly faced criminal cases and imprisonment in Russia. According to experts, such circumstances are difficult to reconcile with claims of a “pro-Russian orientation”. They emphasise that ALLATRA’s activities are public and international in nature and include initiatives aimed at supporting Ukraine.
In this context, some analysts suggest that information attacks targeting the movement, both in Ukraine and within the European information space, may be linked to the activities of pro-Russian networks interested in weakening or discrediting international pro-Ukrainian initiatives. In their view, an organisation that actively operates internationally in support of Ukraine can objectively become inconvenient for influence networks acting in the interests of the Russian Federation.
Some information security experts also note that such information campaigns frequently employ a tactic known in disinformation research as mirror accusations — where allegations directed at an opponent effectively reproduce the characteristics of the information operation itself. Similar mechanisms have been repeatedly described by European research centres as part of strategies associated with Russian disinformation influence. In this context, it is notable that during the judicial proceedings in Ukraine, claims circulated as part of Russian disinformation were examined under evidentiary standards and ultimately found to be unsubstantiated.
Expert Reports: What the Ukrainian Court Critically Assessed
A substantial part of the plaintiffs’ case in the administrative proceedings against ALLATRA relied on expert reports. The Court of Appeal conducted a detailed legal assessment of these materials and ruled that the key expert opinions were inadmissible as evidence. In particular, the court pointed to procedural violations in their preparation and the absence of independent research.
The court also established circumstances indicating bias on the part of one of the authors of the reports, Iryna Kremenovska. According to the court, as early as 2015 she had publicly expressed a negative position towards the movement and stated that she had been engaged in activities aimed at terminating its work. In the court’s view, this demonstrated a pre-existing negative stance and rendered the respective expert report biased and therefore inadmissible as evidence.
The court further noted that the submitted expert reports contained identical fragments and relied on texts previously published on the internet, which deprived such materials of evidentiary value. In addition, the court pointed to the absence of factual evidence within the reports that could substantiate the allegations put forward. As a result, the court concluded that the expert materials presented against the movement could not serve as grounds for the imposition of any restrictive measures.
More broadly, this part of the ruling illustrates that the Ukrainian court applied a standard of admissibility of evidence, assessing not the prominence of the allegations but the quality and verifiability of the materials presented. Within the European legal approach, this principle is regarded as a fundamental safeguard against arbitrary decisions. For open democracies, it is a key feature of a functioning system of legal protection.
Pro-Ukrainian and International Activities of ALLATRA: The Movement’s Actual Agenda
At the same time, such allegations against the movement are difficult to reconcile with its longstanding practical activity on international platforms, where it has consistently expressed support for Ukraine.
For example, on 5 February 2026, a conference in support of Ukraine titled “Freedom Has a Name, and It’s Called Ukraine” was held at the United States Capitol complex on the ALLATRA platform. The event was organised under the leadership of Pastor Mark Burns, a spiritual adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump, and his initiative Spiritual Diplomats. Speakers included representatives of the Ukrainian parliament, U.S. governmental institutions and civil society. Among the issues discussed were humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, including the protection of Ukrainian children from forced deportation carried out by Russia.
Statements made during the conference received wide coverage on online platforms. Particular attention on social media was drawn to the speech by Maryna Ovtsynova, President of ALLATRA IPM, who addressed issues related to international support for Ukraine and the humanitarian consequences of the war.
Earlier, in January 2026, ALLATRA also co-organised an interfaith conference titled “United in Liberty: The Rise of Spiritual Diplomats,” held at the U.S. Capitol complex under the leadership of Pastor Burns. Participants included representatives of religious organisations, human rights advocates and members of the U.S. Congress. The event focused on freedom of religion, social responsibility and the role of civic initiatives in responding to international crises. The conference opened with a video address from U.S. President Donald Trump recorded specifically for the event.
At the same time, the movement has also been active in the European policy and research agenda. On 24 February 2026, an expert conference titled “Nanoplastics, Hidden Connections and Emerging Risks” was held in the European Parliament in Brussels. The event was organised by Member of the European Parliament Ondřej Knotek in cooperation with the think tank ALLATRA Global Research Center. The discussion focused on the risks posed by micro- and nanoplastics to human health, ecosystems, and climate processes, as well as on the need for comparable European standards for monitoring and research.
Taken together, these initiatives illustrate the movement’s public international agenda, encompassing human rights-related issues, scientific and environmental topics, and efforts aimed at supporting Ukraine on the international stage.
Why This Court Decision Represents an Important Signal for Europe
High-profile proceedings such as the ALLATRA case serve, above all, as a form of institutional “stress test”: they demonstrate whether a judicial system is capable of distinguishing media allegations from evidentiary material, ensuring equal procedural guarantees for the parties, and delivering decisions based on legal standards rather than information pressure. For the European assessment under criterion 23.3 (“Quality of the Judicial System”), characteristics such as procedural transparency, legal predictability, and the independence of judicial oversight are of particular importance.
In a broader context, cases of this kind provide practical evidence that Ukraine is developing its legal order in line with European standards, in which disputes are resolved in court rather than through media campaigns. This strengthens confidence in ongoing reforms and makes European integration measurable not by declarations but by institutional practice.
