of

Olena Prokopenko

Visiting Fellow
GMF Expert
My Areas of Expertise:
Civil Society Democratic Decline
Central and Eastern Europe Ukraine

Olena Prokopenko is a visiting fellow at the GMF, focusing on U.S.-Ukraine and EU-Ukraine relations. She is a co-founder of the Transatlantic Task Force on Ukraine established by GMF and partner organizations in 2018 to strengthen global support for the Ukrainian reforms.

Prokopenko previously chaired international relations at Ukraine’s largest civil society coalition Reanimation Package of Reforms. She served as an advocacy expert for the UNDP and a civil society expert for the Council of Europe. She also worked as an advisor to the minister of finance of Ukraine and a government relations manager at Hill+Knowlton Strategies consultancy. Today she serves as a development advisor at the Embassy of Denmark in Kyiv.

Prokopenko has been published by Newsweek, Atlantic Council, Kyiv Post, and Business Ukraine and quoted by multiple foreign media on the issues of Ukraine’s anti-corruption efforts, civil society development, national security, and economic growth.

She is a lawyer by training and an alumna of the Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program of the U.S. Department of State in public policy. Prokopenko holds a master’s degree in political science from Western Illinois University. She tweets at @O_Prokopenko_IR.

Media Mentions

by
Olena Prokopenko
“ 186 children died. Russia's armed forces use illicit weapons and rape women and children. Russian troops deport people using filtration camps. One in four Ukrainians has left home, and 44% of people are separated from their families. ”
Translated from Ukrainian
Detector Media
by
Olena Prokopenko
“ The Territorial Defense Forces (TDF) is an integral part of the resistance and significantly increases Ukrainians’ chances of holding back Russia’s invasion. ”
TIME
by
Olena Prokopenko
“ The escalating rhetoric of recent weeks feels very different to previous periods of heightened tension between Russia and Ukraine, partly because there is uncertainty as to the scale and methods that Russia can use. ”
iNews
by
Olena Prokopenko
“ People don't understand what to do in case of escalation, so they just choose to carry on, hoping that the military and the government will take care of things. ”
NPR

Featured Work