From impunity to accountability: reparations for Russia’s atrocities

His Excellency Pedro Serrano is EU Ambassador to the United Kingdom. He was Chief of Staff to the EU High Representative for foreign affairs and security policy and EC Vice President, Josep Borrell Fontelles until October 2022, and his previous roles include that of Deputy Secretary General for Common Security and Defence Policy and Crisis Response at the European External Action Service (EEAS) and Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy. Pedro Serrano was also the first EU Ambassador to the United Nations, in New York, after the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty.

Kateryna Busol is a Ukrainian lawyer. She is an Associate Professor at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, and a British Academy Research Fellow at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law. As a scholar and practitioner, Kateryna Busol has worked on conflict-related sexual violence, crimes affecting cultural heritage, direct and public incitement to genocide and Ukraine’s transitional justice process. She has worked with UN Women, Global Rights Compliance, and Truth Hounds, and advised Ukrainian prosecutors and judges on armed conflict-related proceedings. Kateryna Busol was a fellow at Chatham House, and a visiting professional at the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

Tetyana Nesterchuk is a barrister and arbitrator practising at the Bar of England and Wales (at Fountain Court Chambers) and specialising in international law. Formerly, she worked as a lecturer in Trusts, Torts, Land and Roman law at Oxford University (2005–2015) and as a judicial assistant in the Supreme Court of the UK (2010–2011). In 2021, Tetyana Nesterchuk was appointed as a UK expert to the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE). She is a draftsperson of the UK Seizure of Russian State Assets and Support for Ukraine Bill introduced in February 2023.

Lyra Nightingale is a Legal Advisor at REDRESS, an organisation focused on delivering justice and reparation for survivors of torture and challenging impunity for perpetrators. As part of this role, she leads the REDRESS financial accountability team. The team seeks to secure effective reparations for survivors through projects including asset recovery, Magnitsky sanctions and reparations for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. Lyra Nightingale’s broader projects include the use of Universal Jurisdiction as a tool for provide accountability in areas such as crimes against humanity.

Lyra Nightingale has over a decade of experience as a litigator, most recently conducting strategic litigation on behalf of MIND. Further, she previously founded and directed a charity supporting victims of abuse and sexual violence and tries to bring a truly survivor centred approach to all of her work.

Dr Nigel Gould-Davies is Senior Fellow for Russia and Eurasia at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). He previously served in the British Foreign Office as head of the Economic Section in Moscow (2003–2007), Ambassador to Belarus (2007–2009), and project director in the Strategy Unit. He has held senior government relations positions in the energy industry, and taught at Oxford University. He is author of Tectonic Politics: Global Political Risk in an Age of Transformation (Brookings, 2019). He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University.