A new Committee of the UNBA will be responsible for national security matters

The Ukrainian National Bar Association has established a Committee on national security law and defense technologies. Advocate Bohdan Ustymenko has been appointed chair of the Committee.

The relevant orders, Nos. 247 and 248, were signed on September 9, 2026, by President of the UNBA, BCU Lidiya Izovitova.

The Committee is a standing collegial advisory body designed to consolidate the expert potential of the legal community in the field of national security law and the legal support of the defense-industrial complex. Its activities will also be aimed at fostering professional dialogue between the advocacy community, government agencies, representatives of the defense industry and international partners, as well as strengthening the UNBA’s role in ensuring the rule of law and protecting democratic freedoms in the field of national security.

The Committee’s areas of focus include monitoring and analyzing legislation on national security particularly maritime security and defense technologies; preparing proposals for its improvement; and researching the legal aspects of the development and application of unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, aviation and aerospace technologies, as well as dual-use goods and technologies.

The Committee will analyze special legal regimes for supporting the defense-industrial complex, regulate export controls and the transfer of defense technologies, and prepare analytical, expert, and methodological materials. It also plans to hold educational and professional events for advocates, develop cooperation with the security and defense sector and the scientific community and represent the position of Ukrainian advocacy at the international level.

«The development of defense technologies requires systematic legal support that simultaneously takes into account national security interests, the requirements of the rule of law, and the need to protect human rights and freedoms, - noted B. Ustymenko. - And the Committee should become a professional platform that develops legally sound approaches to regulating new technologies, export controls, and technology transfer. We will pay special attention to preparing practical materials for advocates».

Bogdan Ustymenko has been practicing law since 2007. His practice includes defense in criminal proceedings involving white-collar crime and providing legal assistance in extradition cases. Since 2018, he has focused on the legal aspects of maritime and national security. He participated in the development of the draft Strategy for Ukraine’s Maritime Security, which was approved by Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 468/2024 dated July 17, 2024 and is a member of the interagency working group on its implementation.