Work at Kyiv's Pechersk Court paralysed

All judges at Kyiv's Pechersk District Court have gone on leave simultaneously, which will last until mid-January. This means the court's operations are paralysed. This suggests a possible delay in the consideration of important cases. And there are quite a few of them.

This court has repeatedly become the centre of corruption scandals. For example:

• Judge Svitlana Smyk lifted the seizure of 2.6 billion hryvnia, which could have been directed to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and returned it to the Russian casino Pin-UP.
• Judge Mykhailiushkov cancelled the seizure of accounts of the online casino Vbet, which has links to Russian structures.

All these circumstances raise questions about who is performing official duties in the court if all judges are on leave simultaneously.