Top Judges in Odesa: Who Made the Most Impact in 2024?

ElitExpert analysts have compiled a rating of the most famous judges in Odesa region.

As noted in the agency, they selected not so much influential judges as those whose activities were the most visible and discussed in the professional and public space.

"We analyzed those who were the most covered by the media, who were active, participated in significant trials, whose decisions resonated and really influenced law enforcement practice," the analysts emphasized.

The ranking was headed by Malynovskyi District Court Judge Oleksandr Garskyi, known for his verdicts in which he sentenced defendants to read books and watch movies for 40 years. For example, in January 2022, Oleksandr Garskyi found a 35-year-old man guilty of inflicting light bodily harm and recommended that he be kinder and read the novel Pollyanna by American writer Eleanor Porter.

The second position in the ranking is occupied by Natalia Bohatska, judge of the Southwestern Economic Court of Appeal, chairman of the Association of Judges of Economic Courts of Ukraine, PhD in Law. According to experts, she has a great deal of authority, which keeps her in informal leadership, continues to actively participate in key legal initiatives, and represents Ukraine at international meetings.

The third position is occupied by Serhiy Chvankin, Chairman of the Kyiv District Court of Odesa, Doctor of Law, Associate Professor of the Department of Civil Law at the Odesa Law Academy. Experts believe that he is one of the most public and media-friendly judges in Odesa. In 2024, he was repeatedly in the media spotlight, often on his own initiative.

The fourth place is occupied by Oleksandr Dzhaburia, Chairman of the Fifth Administrative Court of Appeal, PhD in Law. His name often appears in the media in the context of discussions of judicial reforms, innovations and current administrative proceedings. Jaburia regularly gives comments to legal publications, participates in conferences and legal forums, making him one of the most public judges in Odesa.

The fifth position in the ranking is occupied by Igor Artemenko, Chairman of the Odesa Court of Appeal since February 2023, Doctor of Law, Professor. Throughout 2024, he actively participated in specialized events, legal forums and discussions on judicial reform.

Other top 20 judges in the ranking include Volodymyr Petrov, Chairman of the Economic Court of Odesa Region, Anatoliy Radchuk, Chairman of the Odesa District Administrative Court, PhD in Law, Judge Vadym Kovalenko, Chairman of the Prymorskyi District Court of Odesa, Yulia Feduleieva, Judge of the Kyiv District Court of Odesa, and Serhiy Kichmarenko, Judge of the Prymorskyi District Court of Odesa, who took the eighth place.

The second top ten looks like this:

• Andriy Dryshliuk, judge of the Odesa Court of Appeal, PhD in Law, is ranked eleventh.
• Ihor Zavalniuk, judge-speaker of the Odesa District Administrative Court, Doctor of Law, is ranked twelfth.
• Viktor Ivanov, Deputy Chairman of the Prymorskyi District Court of Odesa, is ranked thirteenth.
• Fourteenth place goes to Ella Kataeva, judge of the Odesa District Administrative Court, PhD in Law.
• The fifteenth place is taken by Sergiy Kolokolov, Chairman of the Southwestern Commercial Court of Appeal.

The rating also includes: Oleksiy Starikov, Deputy Chairman of the Malynovskyi District Court of Odesa - 16th place, Viktor Pozniak, Chairman of the Suvorovskyi District Court of Odesa - 17th place, Volodymyr Gurevskyi, Chairman of the Malynovskyi District Court of Odesa - 18th place, Ruslan Kotelevskyi, Deputy Chairman of the Odesa Court of Appeal - 19th place, and Volodymyr Petrenko, Deputy Chairman of the Kyiv District Court of Odesa, rounds out the ranking.

Кирило Бойко