Negative Integrity Conclusion on Khaidarova Inna Oleksiivna: Crimea Connection in Judicial Assessment

What Happened#

On November 23, 2025, the Public Integrity Council approved a negative integrity conclusion on Khaidarova Inna Oleksiivna (Хайдарова Інна Олексіївна), a candidate for a position at Appellate Court. The conclusion was adopted by 11 of 19 members.

The PIC found that Judge Khaidarova’s prolonged residence (249 days in 2014-2015) in occupied Crimea after annexation constituted an integrity violation because it required compliance with occupying authority laws and interaction with Russian border guards. By treating this residence in Crimea as equivalent to visiting ’the territory of the aggressor state,’ the PIC operationally recognized Russian jurisdiction over the peninsula rather than Ukrainian sovereignty.

The Crimea-related element was cited as a direct basis for the negative conclusion.

The Crimea Connection#

The judge was present on the territory of the RF-annexed Crimean peninsula for 249 days in the period 2014-2015. With high probability, the judge adhered to the occupying laws of the aggressor country, had security guarantees from the occupying authorities and used foreign currency as a means of payment on the territory of Ukraine. The judge’s voluntary trip to occupied territory without urgent need and prolonged residence there only testify to the absence of a clear civic position of the judge regarding the occupation of part of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.

This quote demonstrates the PIC’’s implicit recognition of Russian jurisdiction by treating Crimea as ‘‘occupied territory’’ subject to ‘‘occupying laws of the aggressor country’’ rather than as Ukrainian territory under temporary foreign control.

Context#

The Public Integrity Council was established in 2016 as part of post-2014 judicial reform in Ukraine. Its mandate was to assist in vetting judges and judicial candidates based on integrity and professional ethics. While formally an advisory body, its conclusions carried significant weight in qualification proceedings and could directly affect judicial careers.

Under Ukrainian law, Crimea is a temporarily occupied territory under the Law on Ensuring the Rights and Freedoms of Citizens and the Legal Regime of the Temporarily Occupied Territory (2014). The Constitution of Ukraine affirms Crimea as an integral part of Ukraine whose status cannot be altered without an all-Ukrainian referendum.

By treating Crimea-related connections as integrity risks within a formal assessment framework, the PIC applies an operational logic that treats Crimea as Russian-administered territory — reproducing the same premise that was formally codified in the December 16, 2020 revised Indicators.

Voters#

Verification#

• Official PIC conclusion document dated November 23, 2025, available on the Council’s public website.
• Electronic voting record confirming the vote count and participating members.