Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has appointed 11 judges to the High Anti-Corruption Court and five judges to the court's Appeals Chamber, according to official decrees published on the presidential website on August 21.
The appointments bolster judicial capacity at Ukraine's specialized anti-corruption court, which handles high-level public corruption cases across the country.
Judicial Appointments Under Decrees 782 and 783
Under Presidential Decree No. 782/2026, 11 judges were appointed to the High Anti-Corruption Court: Viktor Antipenko, Oksana Hutsal, Yevhen Didenko, Oleksandr Dudchenko, Vitalii Koriahin, Vladyslav Kukhta, Mykola Pika, Lesia Skreklia, Iryna Teslenko, Oleh Khamkhodera, and Marta-Mariia Yatsynina.
A second executive order, Decree No. 783/2026, named five judges to the court's Appeals Chamber: Nataliia Doroshenko, Mykola Rubashchenko, Inna Smal, Olena Tanasevych, and Ihor Chaikin.
Background on Ukraine's Anti-Corruption Court
The High Anti-Corruption Court operates as an independent judicial body within Ukraine's legal system, specifically created to adjudicate cases involving grand corruption, embezzlement, and abuse of power by senior officials. Establishing an effective anti-corruption judiciary has been a fundamental requirement of Ukraine's judicial reforms and its broader integration commitments with the European Union.
The court consists of a first-instance bench and an autonomous Appeals Chamber. Decisions issued by first-instance judges are subject to review by the Appeals Chamber, ensuring an independent two-tiered judicial process within the specialized court structure.
Court Leadership and Accommodation Appeal
The new appointments follow a formal appeal sent to President Zelenskyy in March 2026, when judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court asked the president to fulfill European integration commitments by providing suitable premises for the court to conduct judicial proceedings.
Prior to that request, an assembly of the court's judges elected Ihor Strohyi as the new head of the High Anti-Corruption Court, while appointing Dmytro Mykhailenko to serve as deputy head.
Establishment of the Court
The High Anti-Corruption Court officially began its work in September 2019, following years of legislative preparation and international consultations. Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, originally passed the law establishing the specialized tribunal in June 2018.
