Abstract
The submitted paper examines the so-called Kharkiv trial, ie the trial that took place before the military authorities of Soviet Union in December 1943 and which is often described as one of the first trials of Nazi war criminals. The causes of the trial, as well as its course and subsequent national and international responses to it are analyzed.
The aim of the article is to present the information about the above-mentioned trial and to point out some procedural elements that could have served as inspiration for future trials of war criminals, but also to recall the terrible crimes committed in the Kharkiv region at a time when Ukraine is facing another unjustified invasion and aggression.