NaUKMA law students make history with top-eight finish at CDRC 2026

The team from the Faculty of Law, National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, achieved a historic result at the CDRC 2026 (VIAC–IBA Mediation and Negotiation Competition), held in Vienna from 2 to 7 July.

For the first time in the University’s history, the team advanced beyond the preliminary rounds to reach the quarterfinals, finishing among the eight best teams in the world in one of the most prestigious international competitions in negotiation and mediation.

CDRC is one of the leading international competitions in consensual dispute resolution and mediation. Each year, it brings together more than 850 students, 450 judges and practitioners, and around 200 volunteers from across the globe. Participants continue the disputes initiated during the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, shifting the focus from arbitration to negotiation and mediation.

This achievement is particularly meaningful given the circumstances in which the Ukrainian team prepared. Training took place during Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, and the team had only three full in-person practice sessions. Participating in the competition was also possible only thanks to the support of the Faculty’s partners and friends, as supporting Ukraine’s Defence Forces remains the highest priority for most Ukrainians.

The team members were:
• Veronika Nazarko
• Ivan Shevchyk
• Yelyzaveta Frolkis

The team was coached by former participants of CDRC, ICC CMC and INADR competitions Maksym Baryshov, Yuliia Shumylo and Milena Komar, under the supervision of Protsenko Diana, Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Law and Coordinator of the Kyiv-Mohyla Mediation Service.

Due to wartime travel restrictions, Ivan Shevchyk was unable to travel to Vienna and supported the team remotely throughout every stage of the competition.
The team successfully advanced to the knockout stage after four preliminary mediation sessions. In the Round of 16, they defeated USP – Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil) to secure a place among the tournament’s top eight teams before concluding their remarkable run in the quarterfinals against Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) (Indonesia).

This achievement once again demonstrates that Ukrainian law students are able to compete successfully with the world’s leading law schools, even under the extraordinary challenges of wartime. It reflects the team’s academic excellence, resilience, dedication and collaborative spirit.

We sincerely thank our partners and friends whose support made the team’s participation in CDRC 2026 possible.

Congratulations to our students and coaches on this outstanding achievement. We wish them continued success in future international competitions.