Among the many thousands taking up arms against the Russian invaders in Ukraine are many lawyers and others, including a Judge from Ukraine’s Supreme Court, Ivan Mishchenko.

Media reports say that Mishchenko, a judge of the Supreme Court in Ukraine with a background in commercial litigation, has joined one of the units defending the capital Kyiv which is awaiting the Russian onslaught.

It is reported that Mishchenko, who has been pictured with an assault rifle and in full military uniform, took his family out of Kyiv to safety, before returning to fight alongside other reservists. ‘It doesn’t matter who is the lawyer, who is the prosecutor, who is the judge – we have all united,’ he told Polish media.

Mishchenko’s LinkedIn profile states that he started his career as a lawyer with the Ministry of Justice in Ukraine and was a head of litigation with a Kyiv firm before becoming a judge in November 2017.

He is reported to have said that many courts in Ukraine are continuing to operate despite the invasion, but he was more useful at this stage in combat rather than in court.