Dr Oleksandra Kovalenko

Ukraine Expert — Human Rights, Political Situation & Asylum Cases

Expert at The Human Rights Experts, an international expert witness organisation.

We provide expert witness reports for asylum cases worldwide, covering human rights violations, political persecution, and systemic oppression. Our reports are trusted by lawyers, courts, and immigration authorities, in full compliance with procedural standards and tribunal requirements in the UK (CPR Part 35, Upper Tribunal PD, First-tier Tribunal IAC PD), USA (Federal Rules of Evidence), Canada, and the EU.

Occupation

• Country Witness Expert on Ukraine and Moldova
• Human Rights Specialist
• Legal Researcher and Academic Consultant
• Independent Journalist and Investigative Reporter on Human Rights

Expertise

I provide expert analysis on all five Refugee Convention grounds — political opinion, religion, ethnicity, membership of a particular social group (including LGBT and gender-based cases), and nationality — with a focus on the following countries:

Ukraine: The Russian full-scale invasion has created a catastrophic humanitarian and human rights crisis, with Russian forces committing widespread war crimes including indiscriminate bombardment of civilian infrastructure, execution of civilians in occupied areas, forced deportation of children to Russia, and systematic use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. In Russian-occupied territories of eastern and southern Ukraine, residents face forced passportization, forced conscription into Russian military service, detention and torture of those perceived as loyal to Ukraine, and suppression of Ukrainian language, education, and cultural identity. Roma communities face entrenched societal discrimination, hate crimes, and forced evictions, and internally displaced persons from conflict-affected areas face barriers to accessing housing, employment, and services. Women experience domestic violence and conflict-related sexual violence, with the war exacerbating vulnerabilities for women in occupied and frontline areas. LGBT individuals face societal hostility, hate crimes by far-right groups, and absence of legal recognition for same-sex relationships, though the wartime context has somewhat shifted public attitudes.

Moldova: Moldovan political life remains influenced by external pressure and internal fragmentation, with journalists, anti-corruption activists, and opposition figures facing intimidation and politically motivated legal proceedings, and the breakaway Transnistria region operating as an unrecognized entity with Russian military presence where residents face restrictions on movement, political expression, and access to Moldovan governance structures. The Gagauz minority community faces tensions with the central government over autonomy and foreign policy orientation, and Roma communities experience systemic discrimination in education, employment, housing, and access to healthcare. Women face domestic violence and trafficking for sexual and labour exploitation, with Moldova remaining a significant origin country for trafficking victims. LGBT individuals face societal hostility, hate speech, and violence from nationalist and religious groups, and legal protections against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation remain weakly enforced.

Experience

• Provided expert witness testimony and reports in over 60 asylum proceedings before UK immigration tribunals and US immigration courts, covering conflict-related persecution, occupation-related claims, and minority rights cases from Ukraine and Moldova.
• Submitted expert evidence to the Upper Tribunal and Federal Immigration Courts on the situation in Russian-occupied territories, the treatment of Roma communities, and the risks facing returning asylum seekers to Ukraine and Moldova.
• Authored country condition reports on the armed conflict, occupation governance, and the treatment of minorities and vulnerable populations in Ukraine and Moldova for legal practitioners and international protection bodies.
• Served as Associate Professor of International Law and Human Rights at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University in Kharkiv, with research focused on conflict-related displacement, occupation law, and transitional justice.
• Collaborated with international non-governmental organisations and monitoring missions to document war crimes, civilian harm, and the humanitarian impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Expert member of The Human Rights Experts.

Full professional experience is available in the CV. Please email us to receive the detailed expert CV.

Publications

Available upon request and detailed in the expert CV.

Languages

• Ukrainian (Native)
• Russian (Fluent)
• English (Fluent)
• Romanian (Conversational)

Religious Groups Expertise

All religious groups

Contact Email

info@thehuman-rights.com