How to Help Ukraine: Documenting international crimes with Truth Hounds (Patreon)

Dear Kyiv Independent community members, 

Thank you for your continued support. Last year, we launched this newsletter for our members — because we heard from you that there’s interest in getting more involved in helping Ukraine. 

Each month, we send one edition of the “How to Help Ukraine” newsletter, highlighting an organization supporting Ukraine and giving you a closer look at civil society — along with opportunities to donate or, in some cases, volunteer. 

Feb. 24 marked the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, and in this edition, we’re featuring an organization that has been dedicated to documenting injustices since the beginning of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in 2014. 

In the eighth edition of “How to Help Ukraine,” we’re proud to share with you the work of Truth Hounds, a Kyiv-based organization that documents and investigates human rights violations and crimes against humanity, seeking to advance justice for the victims of the armed conflict.

Truth Hounds documents human rights violations in order to provide a solid foundation for official criminal proceedings. The team conducts field missions in front-line and formerly occupied areas and works closely with law enforcement, international prosecutors, and investigators, to ensure that international crimes are not only recorded, but also can be pursued through the appropriate legal pathways. Truth Hounds also provides support for survivors of war crimes — including arranging medical, psychological, and legal support — and for $10,000 a month, they can continue this work uninterrupted. You can make a donation via card payment here. Every contribution makes a difference. 

Two members of the Truth Hounds team in the field in southern Ukraine, documenting evidence to be later used in investigations or legal proceedings. (Courtesy of Truth Hounds.)

Truth Hounds was founded in Kyiv in 2014 by Ukrainian lawyers and human rights defenders in response to the human rights violations linked to Russia’s invasion of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. Since then, the organization has significantly expanded its work — from collecting and preserving evidence of human rights abuses to conducting legal research, gathering and archiving open-source intelligence, and advocating internationally for justice. 

International crimes often go unpunished — not because they are unknown — but because evidence is fragmented, improperly collected, or never translated into legally actionable material. By documenting violations while the war is still ongoing and producing structured, analytical materials rather than raw or unverified data, Truth Hounds helps preserve evidence that may be used in court and for establishing an accurate historical record of the war.

Since 2014, Truth Hounds has conducted over 300 field missions, recorded more than 5,000 eyewitness testimonies, and identified over 200 suspects of international war crimes, expanding their work beyond Ukraine to the Caucasus region and Central Asia as well. Truth Hounds’ current areas of focus includes documenting attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, torture and inhumane treatment of civilians in occupied areas, and emerging methods of warfare that may violate international law. 

Truth Hounds works with law enforcement agencies including the International Criminal Court, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office, regional prosecutor’s offices in Ukraine, and the Security Service of Ukraine, also known as SBU. 

Truth Hounds also engages in international advocacy and hosts workshops to train prosecutors, judges, investigators, and human rights actors who deal with war crimes. 

Since May 2025, Truth Hounds has also started arranging support for 80 people who were victims of human rights violations. In each case, the level of involvement and the types of services provided vary greatly — this support includes helping their clients access medical checkups and support from psychologists, as well as assistance preparing and submitting legal documents to obtain civil detainee status or show proof of medical conditions. The team has also represented individuals abroad and worked with foreign authorities under international justice mechanisms. Truth Hounds estimates that this requires a budget of about $10,000 a month to continue, and you can make a contribution to support their work here. 

Thank you for your support — and we hope you find these letters highlighting organizations like Truth Hounds valuable. If you have any questions or feedback about our newsletter, please feel free to respond directly to this email or reach out via email at a.chernova@kyivindependent.com and let us know what you think of this membership benefit.