NGO LingvaLexa Activity Report for 2025
Key Achievements
1. Trainings on Proving the Crime of Genocide for Ukrainian Prosecutors
Throughout 2025, the LingvaLexa team conducted several specialized trainings for Ukrainian prosecutors responsible for investigating the gravest international crimes. In May, a two-day offline training titled “Specific Features of Proving the Crime of Genocide” was held at the Training Center of Prosecutors of Ukraine. During the training, prosecutors examined the concept of genocidal intent, the criteria for destruction of groups, rhetoric inciting genocide and methods for documenting it, as well as practical tools for investigations within the framework of Ukrainian criminal procedure. In September, another two-day training titled “Genocide. International Practice and Contemporary Challenges” took place, focusing on international approaches to proving genocide, the subjective and objective elements of the crime in the Ukrainian context, and potential challenges for the Ukrainian side. The trainings were conducted in partnership with the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Training Center of Prosecutors of Ukraine, and the Regional Center for Human Rights.
2. Series of OSINT Trainings on Investigating Missing Children Cases
In May 2025, LingvaLexa conducted a series of specialized trainings for prosecutors as part of a project aimed at strengthening analytical approaches to investigating crimes related to the disappearance of children under special circumstances. The trainings were organized as three separate two-day events (14–15, 21–22, and 28–29 May) for three different groups of participants. The program covered the fundamentals of OSINT, digital and information security, information search through aggregators and photo analysis, the use of GEOINT tools, work with open sources on Telegram, as well as practical OSINT investigations under the guidance of trainers. The initiative was implemented in partnership with the Training Center of Prosecutors of Ukraine with the support of the OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine.
3. Publication of the Study New Weapon in the Shadows: How the Kremlin Uses Video Games for War Propaganda
The LingvaLexa team prepared and presented a large-scale study on the use of the video game industry as a tool of Kremlin propaganda. The study analyzed how Russia integrates the video game industry into its propaganda machine — from state grants and commissioned storylines to the creation of online communities promoting the “Russian world” narrative. Particular attention was paid to the cases of Squad 22: ZOV, Best in Hell, and other games reproducing narratives of Russian aggression and militarizing youth. The study was presented during a public event at Khartia Hub, at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, as well as during an online event for teachers hosted by “Tolerance Space.” The materials were published in open access for journalists, educators, and researchers of information operations.
4. Participation in Academic and Legal Forums
The Head of the organization, Anna Vyshniakova, and Coordinator Kyrylo Dymov participated in the First All-Ukrainian Round Table “Current Issues in Investigating Crimes Related to the Russian Federation’s Aggression Against Ukraine,” organized by the Institute of the Security Service of Ukraine. In the presentation “The Leadership Requirement in the Crime of Aggression,” they analyzed the narrowness of the leadership clause in the Rome Statute and its significance for Ukrainian law enforcement practice. In addition, Anna Vyshniakova spoke at the 9th Kharkiv International Legal Forum with a presentation titled “From Political Statements to Legal Standards: Challenges of Proving the Crime of Genocide in Ukraine,” outlining the key difficulties associated with moving from political qualifications to legally substantiated evidence.
5. Participation in International Conferences on Propaganda and Cultural Genocide
In August 2025, LingvaLexa participated in the international conference “International Humanitarian Law in the Context of Contemporary Challenges,” organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine at the Diplomatic Academy on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. Anna Vyshniakova joined a panel discussion on the erasure of Ukrainian cultural identity and the use of propaganda as an instrument of war together with representatives of the Ministry of Culture, the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, and the Permanent Representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea. At the end of the year, the organization also participated in discussions at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) during the forum “Resilient Europe: Countering Russian Propaganda and Disinformation,” where mechanisms and the scale of Russian information influence in EU countries, as well as strategies for strengthening Europe’s cognitive resilience, were discussed.
6. OSINT Support for Criminal Proceedings Related to the Militarization of Children
LingvaLexa analysts and lawyers actively participated in the collection, analysis, and systematization of information from open sources within criminal proceedings concerning the militarization and indoctrination of Ukrainian children in occupied territories. As a result of this work, in May 2025 the court delivered a guilty verdict against Dmitry Polkovnikov, the head of “Krympatriotcenter,” for war crimes (Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The organization considers systematic work in this area to be of critical importance, given that the militarization of children reflects the Russian Federation’s intention to raise new generations in the spirit of chauvinism and sustain its expansionist policy.
7. Membership in the Coalition for the International Criminal Court and Participation at the ICC Assembly of States Parties
In December 2025, LingvaLexa became a member of the Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC) — an international network uniting organizations from more than 150 countries and playing a key role in promoting global justice. During the 24th session of the Assembly of States Parties to the ICC (ASP24), the organization, in partnership with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and other organizations, held a side event. Chairperson Anna Vyshniakova delivered a presentation on propaganda as a systemic element of international crimes, emphasizing the need to establish a complete chain of accountability — from media personalities to editors, producers, and financiers of propaganda campaigns, all the way to the political decision-making center in the Kremlin.
8. Public Analytical Work: The Role of Journalists in Documenting War Crimes
LingvaLexa Chairperson Anna Vyshniakova, together with former Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Gunduz Mamedov, published an analytical article in ZN.UA titled “The Main Enemy Is Haste,” dedicated to the delicate balance between the right to information and the obligation to ensure justice. The authors emphasized the critical need for coordinated approaches to collecting, verifying, and preserving evidence, as well as the challenges arising from insufficient coordination between the media, investigators, and civil society.
General Conclusions
The year 2025 marked LingvaLexa’s transition to a new level — both in the quality of its work and in the scale of its impact. The organization expanded its international presence by becoming a member of the Coalition for the ICC and participating in the Assembly of States Parties. At the national level, its training and analytical activities became systemic in nature: prosecutors from different regions now undergo specialized training in genocide investigations and OSINT methodologies. New research directions — propaganda in video games, militarization of children, and genocide — demonstrate the organization’s ability to respond to the evolving challenges of information warfare. LingvaLexa continues to serve as a bridge between law enforcement agencies, academia, educators, and international platforms in the common fight against impunity.