ROMAN KUPCHINSKY (1944-2010) had been involved in investigating and assessing Ukrainian and Eurasian affairs since the mid 1970s when he headed Prolog Research Corporation in New York, London and Munich, which focused on monitoring and analyzing the social and geopolitical developments in the then U.S.S.R.  From 1989 until 2001, he was the head of the Ukrainian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty based in Munich and Prague and later became a senior analyst on energy questions in the former U.S.S.R for RFE/RL.  In 2001, he became the editor of the "Crime, Corruption & Terrorism Watch" published weekly by RFE/RL.  Based on different sources in the Eurasian countries, this publication exposed some of the dangerous trends and activities which have emerged in the post-communist world, trends which constitute real dangers to democracy worldwide and may be disconcerting obstacles to businesses venturing into these markets.  He was the author of numerous articles about Ukrainian and Eurasian affairs, international energy security issues, and organized crime and corruption in the Russian energy sector. Languages; English, Ukrainian, Russian

DANYLO KURDELCHUK is a Ukrainian attorney and the president of the firm, Ukriniurkolegia, the Ukrainian Bar for Foreign Affairs, located in Kyiv, Ukraine.  During his four decade career, he has concentrated on representing Ukrainian individual and corporate interests worldwide -- from North America to Australia, North Africa and the Persian Gulf.  His experience includes such issues as the representation of a major Ukrainian gas utility in commercial negotiations and litigation matters throughout the world; to representing certain EU embassies on legal issues in Ukraine; to class action litigations such as the WW II Slave and Forced Labor litigations against German and Austrian Industry that culminated in settlements awarding compensation of over $1.2 Billion US to Ukrainian victims alone.  Danylo Kurdelchuk regularly participates in international negotiations as a member of and legal counsel to official Ukrainian governmental delegations and, since 2002, has been the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Panama to Ukraine.  Languages: Ukrainian, Russian and English

OLEKSANDR SKIPALSKY is one of Ukraine’s leading experts in the detection, processing, analysis and ultimate application of critical information specific to many regions of the world.  His sphere of activity covered such diverse areas as Europe, the Americas and Asia. His earlier career for many years centered on the international state security of the former U.S.S.R.  In 1989, he became a leading voice in the National Democratic Movement for an Independent Ukraine and, since Ukraine‘s independence, has had leadership experience in many public and international organizations.  From 1994 to 1998, he was a member of the Ukrainian Parliament and the author of the draft Ukrainian law “On Intelligence Agencies”.  He was the founder of Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Service; he has held high level posts in the Defense Ministry of Ukraine and in the Ministry of Emergency Services and was Vice Chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).  He holds a degree in law and the military rank of Lieutenant General.  Languages: Ukrainian, Russian  

MYROSLAW SMORODSKY is an American attorney who since 1968 and has been involved in many diverse areas of the law ranging from criminal defense, to international transactional and litigation matters, to massive class actions involving Nazi Era Slave/Forced Labor claims resulting in billion dollar settlements.  Over the years, he has also represented such diverse clients as soviet political prisoners in the 70’s and 80’s to acting as legal counsel to the Ukrainian Mission to the UN, the Ukrainian Consulate in New York and to the Ukrainian Embassy after Ukraine declared independence. In 1980, he was appointed by President Carter as a Public Member to the Madrid Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe and from 2001 to 2006 was advisor to the International Organization of Migration on issues relating to distribution of compensation to slave/forced labor victims of Nazi Era war crimes.  This extensive decades’ long experience has developed strong relationships with distinctive individuals here in the US and abroad who have a far-reaching range of knowledge and experience in international matters dealing with Ukraine.  His practice has evolved to and is now restricted to matters that are of an international character or are of special interest and importance.  Languages: English, Ukrainian

VOLODYMYR VASSYLENKO is a pre-eminent Ukrainian legal scholar, jurist, and diplomat whose fifty-year long career has been illustrious in each of these fields. For over 25 years he has been a renowned professor of Public International Law at the Institute of foreign relations of the National Kyiv University. He was legal advisor to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine. He was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Belgium, (non-resident) to the Netherlands and Luxemburg; to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and (non-resident) to Ireland, as well as Representative of Ukraine to the European Union, the North Atlantic Co-operation Council and the International Maritime Organization. He was Judge ad litem of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. He was Representative of Ukraine to the UN Commission on Human Rights.  He participated in a number of important international Conferences and Sessions of the United Nations General Assembly. He also formed part of the Ukrainian delegation at the Summits of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Currently he is Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Representative of Ukraine to the UN Council on Human Rights, Deputy Representative of Ukraine to the Venice Commission, Agent of Ukraine to the International Court of Justice in the case of Ukraine v. Romania concerning the delimitation of maritime space in the Black Sea. Languages: Ukrainian, English, French, Russian