OSINT in Action: Ukraine Establishes Prosecutors’ Unit to Investigate War Crimes
In July 2025, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine officially launched an analytical OSINT unit to document and investigate war crimes committed on the country’s territory. The new division uses specialized open-source intelligence (OSINT) tools and builds its own databases of digital evidence suitable for further legal proceedings.
All prosecutors working in the unit underwent training in Estonia on the use of OSINT as digital evidence in judicial processes. In addition, standards and procedures were developed to allow the integration of open-source data into criminal proceedings at the official level (Ukrinform).
Why is this important?
- Legal recognition of OSINT evidence – for the first time in Ukraine, open-source information is officially integrated and required to meet criminal law standards.
- Scientific and practical approach – the newly introduced standards reflect the principle of “prosecutor as OSINT-investigator”, meaning the prosecutor also acts as a digital trace analyst.
- International cooperation – the training included Estonian expertise, while the standards were developed in partnership with international experts.