Towards European integration: Aligning human rights legislation in Ukraine with the European Union acquis

The full-scale invasion and the ongoing war Russia started in Ukraine has dangled the new peace order created in the aftermath of World War II with the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community, nowadays known as the European Union. Along with the distrust towards international bodies` effectiveness, the war strives to undermine democratic order together with values inherent in it, such as the rule of law, human rights protection and an active civil society. Ukraine`s road toward European integration started long before declaring its independence and Ukraine`s role as Gates of Europe in maintaining security in the region cannot be underestimated as of now. The thesis aims to provide historical, theoretical, legislative and political overview of bilateral relations of Ukraine and the European Union, stressing the importance of the Revolution of Dignity and the role of Ukraine`s civil society in democratic processes on the road to becoming an EU member. The thesis examines Ukraine`s “accession through war”, while relying on the analysis of European Union framework on protecting human rights together with the current human rights agenda in Ukraine, as well as explores judicial reform and fundamental rights protection in times of an international armed conflict, taking into account present challenges and limitations to be addressed.