Country expert specialising in the preparation of country expert reports on the Russian Federation, Ukraine and the Republic of Belarus for international protection and political asylum procedures, as well as for extradition-defence proceedings. More than 17 years of continuous legal practice in the fields of immigration and international law. Author of over 100 expert reports used in immigration and court proceedings in the European Union, the United States, Serbia, Montenegro and Senegal.
Managing Partner of the Moscow Bar Association 'Dombrovitskiy and Partners' (established in 2009) and founder of the international human-rights network INTERPOL-SOS, which brings together lawyers, journalists, private investigators and judicial experts from more than 200 countries. Possesses exceptional, and in part personal, knowledge of the functioning of the Russian repressive system: in January 2023 he was included by the Russian Ministry of Justice in the register of 'foreign agents'; he personally went through the procedure of having his own file removed from the Interpol Information System following a decision of the Commission for the Control of Interpol's Files (CCF), which found the Russian request to be politically motivated and contrary to the Organisation's Constitution.
Heads the research department of the international pool of independent journalists News-Opposition. The results of these investigations into politically motivated persecution are regularly published by leading world media, including Radio Liberty, Meduza, Voice of America, El Mundo, El Español, El Confidencial, Público, Novaya Gazeta Europe, UNIAN and The New York Times.
Education and qualifications: Russian University of Cooperation (2007); certified polygraph specialist (2014); MBA (2018); PhD (2019); accredited independent judicial expert (since 2020).
Russian Federation. Preparation of country expert reports on the issues that most frequently arise in asylum cases: politically motivated criminal prosecution of dissenters and mechanisms of fabricating criminal cases; abuse of Interpol channels and of the extradition system against dissidents, émigrés and entrepreneurs; legal and practical consequences of being designated as a 'foreign agent'; risks associated with any form of connection to organisations designated in Russia as 'undesirable' or 'extremist'; persecution for anti-war positions (including the application of the articles on 'discrediting the army' and on 'fake news'); conditions of detention and risks of torture; the (lack of) independence of the judiciary; safety of return for particular categories of applicants; persecution on religious grounds (including Jehovah's Witnesses and certain Muslim groups); discrimination and persecution of LGBTQ+ persons following the designation of the 'international LGBT movement' as 'extremist'; the situation in the Chechen Republic and other regions of the North Caucasus.
Ukraine. Expertise on politically motivated persecution, the human-rights situation under conditions of war, the situation of specific social and political groups, as well as issues relating to mobilisation and the associated risks
Republic of Belarus. Expertise on repression against the opposition, civic activists, journalists and participants of the 2020 protests; risks for individuals who refuse to cooperate with the security services; conditions of detention; cooperation between the Belarusian and Russian security agencies.
More than 100 expert reports prepared for immigration and judicial authorities in the European Union, the United States, Serbia, Montenegro and Senegal, primarily in cases concerning political asylum and international protection, as well as in extradition-defence proceedings. Direct hands-on experience of representing clients in analogous cases further strengthens the quality and evidential value of the country expert reports produced.
Selected coverage in the European press of cases in which the applicant acted as counsel and/or expert:
• Público (Spain) — the case of the physicist Gusev: https://www.publico.es/internacional/gusev-fisico-perseguido-kremlin-es… araska-beria.html
• El Mundo (September 2025): https://www.elmundo.es/cronica/2025/09/25/68cd7317e4d4d8e50e8b45b8.html…;
• El Mundo (June 2025): https://www.elmundo.es/cronica/2025/06/19/684c2f75e85ece39068b45ba.html…;
• El Mundo (February 2025): https://www.elmundo.es/cronica/2025/02/27/67b787a521efa0d70a8b4581.html…;
• El Español (January 2025) — the case of Vladimir, submarine components engineer: https://www.elespanol.com/reportajes/20250127/vladimir-ruso-cienciologi… marinos-kremlin-deserto-oculto-espana-no-quiero-liquiden/918908353_0.html
• El Español (December 2024) — the case of Arthur Perepelkin: https://www.elespanol.com/edicion/20241221/caida-desgracia-arthur-perep… na-no-devuelto-rusia-putin-persigue-apoyar-ucrania/910568953_16.html
• YouTube channel with client testimonials: https://youtube.com/@dombrovitsky