MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE DURING WARS: COMPENSATION MECHANISMS AND UKRAINE’S PERSPECTIVE

The Ukrainian Maritime Law Association is proud to share the results of the 2025 Young Person’s Essay Prize. Our colleague, Diana Liashenko, member of the Ukrainian Maritime Law Association, has been awarded the 2025 Comité Maritime International (CMI) yCMI Essay Prize for her scholarly work “MARINE ENVIRONMENTAL DAMAGE DURING WARS: COMPENSATION MECHANISMS AND UKRAINE’S PERSPECTIVE”, which received high recognition from the international jury.

The yCMI Essay Prize is organized annually by the Comité Maritime International (CMI), addressing topical issues at the core of CMI’s mission.

Diana Liashenko’s essay can be found on the official CMI website: https://comitemaritime.org/work/ycmi-essay-prize/

The judges praised Diana’s essay for its depth, topicality, and quality of legal analysis, highlighting the clarity of argumentation and structure of the work:

“A truly remarkable, interesting and competent piece on a very topical issue which highlights a genuine problem and attempts a number of alternative solutions. Original and insightful.”

“Very interesting topic, well researched and excellent writing.”

“Not only is this a very interesting area of law, but it will be hugely topical when the hostilities end and the international community has to grapple with the aftermath. The author is also offering a critical analysis of the position, which I found impressive for a non-PhD level. Very clear and striking a balance between being technically precise and suitable for a non-specialist audience.”

This recognition helps draw the attention of the international community to the urgent issue of marine environmental restoration in Ukraine during wartime, emphasizing the importance of further academic research, international cooperation, and collective solutions to safeguard marine heritage and restore marine ecosystems in today’s challenging circumstances.

We sincerely congratulate Diana Liashenko on this significant award and wish her continued success and future achievements!