Vitalii Yanchuk
Managing Director — Kyiv Office
Vitalii Yanchuk is Managing Director of Bond Stone’s Kyiv office. He has been practising law since 2007, combining a background in Ukrainian corporate law, restructuring, and maritime law with international legal training at BPP University Law School and IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. Vitalii is admitted to practise law in Ukraine and is a member of the Odessa Regional Bar Association.
Before joining Bond Stone in 2019, Vitalii held senior counsel positions in major Ukrainian retail groups, manufacturing companies, freight forwarding firms, and shipping companies — building a practice that spans corporate and commercial law, corporate restructuring and insolvency, maritime law and shipping, and employment law. His experience with common law principles — developed through his Chicago-Kent LL.M. and BPP training — equips him to advise on cross-border mandates involving both Ukrainian civil law and international contract standards.
As Bond Stone’s Kyiv Managing Director, Vitalii leads the firm’s Ukrainian practice — advising Ukrainian companies and investors on Central Asia legal matters, serving as co-counsel for Ukrainian law firms with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan mandates, and handling cross-border CIS transactions where both Ukrainian and Kazakhstani law are relevant. He also runs Bond Stone’s maritime law and shipping practice, which extends across the Black Sea, Caspian Sea, and Central Asian trade corridors.
What Clients Say
“Vitalii brought a level of international legal sophistication that is not always easy to find in the Ukrainian market. His understanding of both Ukrainian restructuring law and international contract standards was exactly what we needed to navigate a complex cross-border situation.”
General counsel — European manufacturing group, Ukraine operations
“For our Kazakhstan-Ukraine cross-border work, Bond Stone under Vitalii’s coordination was seamless. One point of contact across two jurisdictions, consistent quality, and none of the friction you normally get when trying to coordinate multiple local counsel firms.”
Legal director — CIS-focused trading company, cross-border mandate
“Vitalii’s maritime law expertise is genuinely rare in this region. He handled our shipping contract dispute with a command of both the technical maritime law and the commercial realities of the transaction that gave us full confidence throughout.”
Operations manager — international freight and shipping company
Experience
Corporate Restructuring — Major Ukrainian Holdings
Restructuring · Ukraine · Corporate
Managing legal support for the restructuring and insolvency proceedings of major Ukrainian holdings — debt restructuring, creditor negotiations, asset protection, and court representation throughout the insolvency process.
Maritime Law — Shipping Contract Dispute
Maritime · Black Sea / Caspian · Dispute Resolution
Representing international shipping companies in maritime law disputes — charter party breaches, cargo damage claims, freight disputes, and enforcement of maritime liens before Ukrainian courts and international arbitration tribunals.
Ukraine–Kazakhstan Cross-border — Co-counsel
Corporate · Ukraine / Kazakhstan · Co-Counsel
Coordinating cross-border mandates involving Ukrainian and Kazakhstani counterparties — serving as the Kyiv-based co-counsel contact for Ukrainian law firms and providing seamless dual-jurisdiction coverage alongside Bond Stone’s Almaty office.
Retail Group — Senior In-house Counsel
Corporate · Ukraine · Retail / Commercial
Senior counsel at a major Ukrainian retail group — managing commercial contracts, supplier agreements, real estate leases, employment matters, regulatory compliance, and corporate governance across a multi-entity retail operation.
Freight Forwarding — Legal Counsel
Maritime · Ukraine · Logistics
Legal counsel to a freight forwarding and logistics company — international freight contracts, CMR and multimodal transport agreements, cargo insurance disputes, and cross-border customs compliance across Black Sea and CIS corridors.
Manufacturing Company — Corporate & Employment
Corporate · Ukraine · Manufacturing
Senior counsel at a Ukrainian manufacturing company — corporate governance, shareholder matters, executive employment agreements, commercial supply contracts, and regulatory compliance under Ukrainian law.
Caspian Shipping — Kazakhstan Advisory
Maritime · Kazakhstan / Caspian · Shipping
Advising on Caspian Sea shipping matters from Bond Stone’s Kyiv base — shipping contract review, port operations legal support, and Kazakhstan maritime regulatory advisory for Caspian corridor operators.
Ukrainian Investor — Kazakhstan Entry
Corporate · Kazakhstan · Ukrainian Investment
Advising Ukrainian companies on Kazakhstan market entry — legal structuring, entity formation, investment vehicle selection, and regulatory compliance advisory — coordinating between the Kyiv and Almaty offices on dual-jurisdiction mandates.
Employment — International Workforce
Employment · Ukraine · International
Advising international companies on employment law compliance in Ukraine — executive employment contracts, work permit and visa procedures, workforce reduction compliance, and post-war employment law developments.
Recognition & Memberships
Legal 500 EMEA — Bond Stone Top Tier Kazakhstan
Bond Stone is ranked Legal 500 EMEA Top Tier in Kazakhstan. Vitalii leads the Kyiv office and contributes to Bond Stone’s cross-border CIS and maritime law practice.
Odessa Regional Bar Association (ORBA)
Admitted to practise law in Ukraine. Licensed to represent clients before government agencies, ministries, and courts of Ukraine.
Education
IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law
Master of Laws (LL.M.), 2019
BPP University Law School, London
Further professional legal training, 2016
School of American Law in Ukraine (IIT Chicago-Kent)
Pre-master programme, 2018
Odessa National University
Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), 2006
Languages
Ukrainian (native) · Russian (fluent) · English (highly proficient)