Diplomatic Legal Hub Supports Foreigners in Ukraine

By Scott Douglas Jacobsen,

Independent Reporter & Coordinator, Diplomatic Legal Hub

The Diplomatic Legal Hub, based in Kyiv, Ukraine, was publicly announced on October 8, 2025, by Interfax-Ukraine as a legal support platform for foreign businesses, citizens, and diplomatic institutions. It was presented as an initiative of Barristers, in cooperation with Ukrainian lawyers. Key publicly listed members, coordinators, partners, and consultants associated with the Hub include Oleksiy Anatoliiovych Shevchuk, Elvira Oleksandrivna Lazarenko, Yaroslav Oleksandrovych Kuts, Oleksandr Anatoliiovych Oliynyk, Inna Vasylivna Silantieva, Yurii Anatoliiovych Ryabchun, Olga Tanyushkina, Ani Mkrtumyan, Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, and Scott Douglas Jacobsen.

Oleksiy Anatoliiovych Shevchuk is one of the central public legal figures associated with the Hub. He is identified as a Barrister's partner, spokesperson for the National Association of Advocates of Ukraine, chair of the National Association of Lobbyists of Ukraine, and doctor of philosophy in law. He has framed the Hub as a practical mechanism for foreign citizens, foreign businesses, and diplomatic institutions seeking legal support in Ukraine.

Elvira Oleksandrivna Lazarenko is a Barrister's partner and attorney. She has described the Hub’s service model as covering the full cycle from border crossing and documentation to disputes involving migration services, customs, and courts. She has also stated that assistance to foreign citizens would be provided pro bono for at least two years; however, the Hub is not necessarily free in every context.

Yaroslav Oleksandrovych Kuts is an attorney, deputy head of the Information Policy Committee of the National Association of Advocates of Ukraine, and partner at a2kat Attorneys at Law. He has presented the Hub as relevant both during martial law and for post-war recovery, particularly as Ukraine expects increased foreign business, migration, and diplomatic activity.

Oleksandr Anatoliiovych Oliynyk is an attorney, managing partner of VIDSICH Attorneys at Law, candidate/PhD in law, and chair of the Criminal Law and Procedure Committee of the Kharkiv Regional Bar Council. He has warned about wartime risks for companies with foreign elements, including criminal proceedings and possible sanctions against legal entities.

Inna Vasylivna Silantieva is an official Hub coordinator, a researcher at the V.M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and holds a Ph.D. in Law.

Yurii Anatoliiovych Ryabchun is the founder of the project “Chas Pershykh,” a media entrepreneur, and a digital creator involved in business, innovation, leadership, and social/cultural communications projects.

Olga Tanyushkina is a Hub co-founder and coordinator focused on medical protection and rehabilitation for foreign servicemen, especially foreign legionnaires. Her work includes compliance, due diligence, embassy liaison, grant policy, medical pathways, a project on trauma and sleep recovery for service members, and rehabilitation clinics in Europe.

Ani Mkrtumyan is the Head of the Hub's Secretariat. She has participated in international discussions on cybersecurity, digital resilience, AI-risk governance, and the webinar “Battlefield Diplomacy: The Global Impact.”

Valentyn Nalyvaichenko has served as an independent consultant with the Hub since December 2025. His role focuses on diplomatic communication, international cooperation, security and legal diplomacy, relations with international partners, and strategic links with the United States, the European Union, and NATO states. The Verkhovna Rada’s EU-integration committee also identifies him as secretary of the Committee on Ukraine’s Integration into the European Union.

I (Scott Douglas Jacobsen) joined as a Diplomatic Legal Hub Coordinator around April 16, 2026, to strengthen the Hub’s international communications, media presence, human rights work, and global dialogue.

The Hub primarily functions as a comprehensive system of legal protection for foreign citizens and businesses in Ukraine, including legal education, risk reduction, conflict resolution between foreign businesses and the Ukrainian state, and the strengthening of diplomatic institutions through a reliable legal support mechanism. The Hub’s support model comprises three broad operational components: legal education through seminars and trainings, an online consultation platform connected to embassies, and an international network of partners and lawyers. The Hub states that it has representatives in more than 30 countries.

The Diplomatic Legal Hub functions as a wartime legal-diplomatic support platform. It provides support for foreigners and businesses in Ukraine, foreign volunteers and service members, war-damage documentation, public international law commentary, business risk support, and networking within civil and professional society.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen is a blogger on Vocal with more than 200 publications on the platform. He is the Founder and Publisher of In-Sight Publishing (ISBN: 978–1–0692343; 978–1–0673505) and Editor-in-Chief of In-Sight: Interviews (ISSN: 2369–6885). He writes for International Policy Digest (ISSN: 2332–9416), The Humanist (Print: ISSN, 0018–7399; Online: ISSN, 2163–3576), Basic Income Earth Network (UK Registered Charity 1177066), Humanist Perspectives (ISSN: 1719–6337), A Further Inquiry (SubStack), Vocal, Medium, The Good Men Project, The New Enlightenment Project, The Washington Outsider, rabble.ca, and other media. His bibliography index can be found via the Jacobsen Bank at In-Sight Publishing, comprising more than 10,000 articles, interviews, and republications across more than 200 outlets. He has served in national and international leadership roles within humanist and media organizations, held several academic fellowships, and currently serves on several boards. He is a member in good standing in numerous media organizations, including the Canadian Association of Journalists, PEN Canada (CRA: 88916 2541 RR0001), Reporters Without Borders (SIREN: 343 684 221/SIRET: 343 684 221 00041/EIN: 20–0708028), and others.