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Deputy Minister of Justice has been linked to a trip to the Russian Federation and a Russian address

Deputy Minister of Justice has been linked to a trip to the Russian Federation and a Russian address

Katerina Melnychenko Deputy Editor-in-Chief

25 June 2026, 09:45

Deputy Minister of Justice has been linked to a trip to the Russian Federation and a Russian address — Olena Ferens, whose surname was previously Dovgan, was able to travel to Russia in 2021.

Olena Ferens, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Justice, has been linked to a possible trip to Russia in 2021. Journalists have reported that, upon entering the Russian Federation, she allegedly provided a temporary address in the Irkutsk region.

This was reported by the Telegram channel ‘Oko Femidi’. ThePublic had previously reported on Russian bloggers’ reposts on Ferens’ page.

According to the Telegram channel ‘Oko Femidi’, Olena Ferens, formerly known as Dovgan, may have travelled to Russia in 2021.

The authors of the post claim that during this trip she allegedly provided a temporary place of registration in the village of Seredniy in the Usolsky District of the Irkutsk Region.

This settlement is mentioned in connection with the Russian ‘Bila’ airbase, which came to prominence following the Ukrainian special operation ‘Pavutina’.

Journalists also asked why the official had travelled to the Russian Federation and whether these circumstances had been investigated prior to her appointment to the Ministry of Justice.

What is known about Olena Ferens

Olena Ferens is the Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine. The Cabinet of Ministers appointed her to this post on 1 April 2025. The relevant decree has been published on the website of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

Prior to her appointment, Ferens worked within the Ministry of Justice. According to the ‘Judicial and Legal Gazette’, she had headed the Ministry of Justice’s Department of Private Law since 2016, and in 2024 she was a candidate for the post of member of the High Council of Justice.

Her declaration is available in the NACP’s public register, where the declarant is listed as Olena Mykolayivna Ferens.

What else is the official accused of?

Earlier, the Telegram channel Insider UA reported that Ferens had shared posts by Russian bloggers. ‘Telegraf’ also wrote about this story.

Separately, the authors of the articles drew attention to expensive luxury brand items which the official allegedly displayed whilst on holiday in France. However, at the time of writing, there are no official findings from the NACP or law enforcement agencies regarding possible violations in the declaration.

This concerns a high-ranking official at the Ministry of Justice — the body responsible for state legal policy, registers, the notarial service and certain procedures within the justice system.

Possible trips by civil servants to Russia after 2014, contacts with the Russian information sphere and questions regarding asset declarations are matters of public interest. However, such allegations require verification and an official response.

At the time of writing, there had been no public response from the Ministry of Justice, Olena Ferens herself or the law enforcement agencies regarding the claims about a trip to the Russian Federation.

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