Documenting Russian War Crimes in Ukraine: An Introduction to The Reckoning Project
As the war in Ukraine continues, an initiative is working to ensure that the stories of survivors and witnesses are not lost in time—or propaganda. The Reckoning Project is not only documenting Russian war crimes in real time, but also transforming personal testimonies into legally admissible evidence, challenging disinformation, and pushing for justice on a global scale.
The session titled “Documenting Russian War Crimes in Ukraine: An Introduction to The Reckoning Project” featured two panelists: Iryna Kyporenko, a journalist and producer with a strong background in investigative and documentary storytelling, and Mykhaylo Shtekel, a frontline reporter who has covered the Russian-Ukrainian war extensively. Both are actively involved in The Reckoning Project, an initiative aimed at documenting war crimes and ensuring accountability. The discussion was moderated by Elliot Short, Project Director of the Open Information Partnership, an international program focused on countering disinformation and foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) in Eastern Europe.
The Reckoning Project is an initiative designed to transform how war crimes are documented and prosecuted, particularly in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine. It aims to overcome systemic barriers that often prevent justice from being served. At its core, the project focuses on gathering personal testimonies—real stories from real people—which are then meticulously verified to meet strict legal standards. These testimonies can potentially be used as evidence in legal proceedings, including international courts.
The project takes a case-by-case approach. Witnesses must provide testimony in person and sign official documentation to ensure legal validity. This personal engagement also helps protect their identities and security—revealing their information could not only endanger them but also jeopardize legal proceedings.
The process involves mobilizing, training, and deploying investigative researchers, who then archive and verify evidence. The part of this project is the legal team. The focus remains on documenting events in real time, capturing the human element of war crimes through first-hand stories.
A significant part of The Reckoning Project’s mission is to combat Russian disinformation, which plays a powerful role in shaping public perception. For instance, Russian state media has promoted false narratives claiming they are “rescuing” Ukrainian children from war zones. In reality, thousands of children have been forcibly taken from their legal guardians, often under the pretense of being sent to “vacation camps.” Many of these children have not returned.
The true scale of these abductions only began to emerge as Ukrainian forces liberated Russian-occupied areas. Russian authorities had systematically removed children from orphanages, hospitals, and schools—an orchestrated effort to erase Ukrainian identity and sever family ties.
One notable example highlighted during the session is a legal case in Argentina, where a Ukrainian man has filed a complaint alleging torture by Russian occupying forces. This case, far from the conflict zone, underscores the global scope of accountability efforts. The Reckoning Project contributes by collecting and verifying evidence that can be used in such cases, and has also published findings on other ongoing investigations.
Beyond legal documentation, the project is committed to raising public awareness, especially in countries influenced by Russian media. This includes producing articles in Russian and cooperating with international media outlets to broaden the reach. They’ve also released documentaries, such as “Stolen by Russia”, which tells the story of abducted Ukrainian children from Oleshky orphanage—some lured away under false pretenses. The main protagonist of this film, a 16 years old boy, returned a month and half after the release of the movie. Most of the children that were abducted for orphanage are still in Russia and occupied territories.
Speakers also emphasized the role of social media, particularly platforms like TikTok, where soldiers and civilians are documenting atrocities in real time.
At its heart, The Reckoning Project is about stories—human stories—collected with integrity, verified with rigor, and told with purpose. It is a powerful reminder that behind every statistic and headline, there are people whose voices deserve to be heard and whose suffering demands justice.
Author: Belma Tirović