Recommended researchers

Here is my list of recommended researchers. Picking a researcher must be done carefully. Genealogical research can be expensive so only researchers who are trustworthy and professional should be used. Many of these researchers I have used for my own research.

Russia

Dennis Baranov e-mail

He speaks English and Russian and conducts research in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. His experience covers more than 15 years. His wife, Mariya, is the research helper and translator. Dennis is a member of Association of Professional Genealogists, based in Colorado. His profile and customer reviews can be viewed here.

Kursk Region

Evgeniy Karpuk e-mail website

He is my favorite researcher, with conducting my family’s research for 10 years. Evgeniy is very familiar with Kursk Region and its archives. He knows the condition of archives very well. He communicates only in Russian.

St. Petersburg

Blitz Information Center e-mail website

This is a great research firm in St. Petersburg. It is very knowledgeable about archives in St. Petersburg. Initial round of research costs $80 U.S. dollars for five hours of research, a reasonable rate. The firm gives a detailed report of its findings and proposal for further research in excellent English.

Victoria Krymova e-mail

Victoria is very knowledgeable about the Russian State Historical Archive in St. Petersburg, one of the largest archives in Russia and the world. She is eager and knows how to find records. She communicates only in Russian.

Moscow and Tver Region

Natalya Bykovskaya e-mail

Natalya does research in the historical archives in Moscow and the state archives of Tver Region. She knows German and some Spanish.

Ukraine

Genealab.com  e-mail Facebook  website

I have used one researcher,  Andrew Sichkarenko, for a year in Kyiv. He is thorough, responds quickly and knows excellent English. His rates are reasonable. Genealab has done research throughout Ukraine and parts of Poland and Belarus and offers research help in the former USSR areas.

Dennis Baranov e-mail

He speaks English and Russian and conducts research in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. His experience covers more than 15 years. His wife, Mariya, is the research helper and translator. Dennis is a member of Association of Professional Genealogists, based in Colorado. His profile and customer reviews can be viewed here.

Central Ukraine

Andrey Potyomkin e-mail

He is familiar with archives in Kyiv, Zhitomir, Vinnitsa and Chernigov. His rates are reasonable. Andrey communicates in Russian.

Nikita Kovalchuk e-mail

Nikita knows how to get around Kyiv archives. He charges a reasonable rate and answers all messages in fine English. Nikita is honest about the condition of archive records.

Vladimir Kreshchishin e-mail

He works in archives of Kyiv and central Ukraine. Vladimir  is recommended by members of Our Ancestors- Ukrainian Genealogy.

Western Ukraine

Oleh Boyko e-mail

Oleh researches in Lviv, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk regions of western Ukraine and Przemysl, Krakow, Warsaw in Poland. He also translates Ukrainian, Russian and Polish into English.  Oleh has 12 years of experience.

Victor Kuzio e-mail

He has an excellent reputation and communicates in Russian and English.

Ihor Voronchak e-mail Facebook

He has an excellent reputation and provides a lot of help on genforum.genealogy.com/ukraine/. Ihor does research in Lviv, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. He communicates in Russian and English.

Igor Holyboroda e-mail

He works as a travel guide and researcher in Lviv. Igor is recommended by members of Our Ancestors- Ukrainian Genealogy.

Eastern Ukraine

Kharkiv

Julia Kulik e-mail

She is a researcher and travel guide for Kharkiv. She communicates in Russian and excellent English. Julia is recommended by members of Our Ancestors- Ukrainian Genealogy.

Belarus

Dennis Baranov e-mail

He speaks English and Russian and conducts research in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. His experience covers more than 15 years. His wife, Mariya, is the research helper and translator. Dennis is a member of Association of Professional Genealogists, based in Colorado. His profile and customer reviews can be viewed here.

Poland

Iwona Dakiniewicz e-mail

She knows the area of Lodz and its archives very well. Iwona responds to e-mail messages quickly. She communicates in excellent English.

Oleh Boyko e-mail

Oleh researches in Przemysl, Krakow and Warsaw. He also translates Ukrainian, Russian and Polish into English.  Oleh has 12 years of experience.

100 thoughts on “Recommended researchers”

  1. G. Prokopowich

    From personal experience I completely agree that Ihor Voronchak does excellent work at a reasonable price. He has been invaluable to me as I explored my family’s history.

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  2. Lorenzo Bartomilio

    Hello I was wondering about recommendations for a researcher in the Kiev Archives and Zhitomry as well. I have had lots of work done already but was wondering about another researcher since mine is a little too busy on others projects…

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    2. Lawrence K.

      Lorenzo did you ever find someone to assist you with your research since I have a friend who needs assistance as well and maybe you can tell me if yoi had any luck? Also maybe the last one who you felt was too busy to assist if we can maybe not pick that one as well…

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  3. Inna Saporoschetz

    Nikita Kovalchuk in Kiev has been working on my family record for about six months and is currently doing some more research for me , I am very pleased with his work ,he is efficient, responds quickly to my questions and has positive results ,I recommend him highly .

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  5. GenealogyGeek

    Has anyone ever used Sergey Burlachko to do research? I’ve contacted
    him through his webpage (genealogy-ua.com) and his emails
    (ua.genealogy@gmail.com and info@genealogy-ua.com). He accepted my
    money and promised me results in 3 weeks (this was in January). He
    continually has excuses about why he hasn’t been able to complete the
    job. They include:

    1) He was so sick he hadn’t been able to even be on the computer for a
    week. But “his associate” was even now at the archives doing the
    research. This was in February.

    2) He then stopped responding to emails until the end of March when he
    told me that his wife in the hospital. I understood (and stupidly
    believed him) and didn’t contact him for several weeks to allow him to
    spend time with her.

    3) He then didn’t respond to my ever-increasingly urgent emails until
    the beginning of July. His excuse was that he was “outside of
    Ukraine.” He then promised me he would definitely have results by the
    end of July.

    4) I emailed him at the end of July and then daily at the beginning of
    August. I didn’t hear from him until this Sunday when he promised
    that I’d have results by “day after tomorrow.”

    5) And even though he promised (and seemed offended that I was calling
    him on his lies) to have results Tuesday, it’s now Wednesday evening
    in the US (and already early Thursday in Ukraine), and I still haven’t
    heard from him.

    I’m hoping that others have used him with good (but slow) results and
    that he hasn’t scammed me out of my (and others who chipped in) money.
    But I’m getting very concerned and upset.

    Liked by 1 person

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      1. GenealogyGeek

        Vinnytsia Oblast. His site allows for searching by village all over Ukraine to see records he is aware of. He listed several of my family villages and sets of records that I was interested in. His initial responses were fast and seemed legitimate; he told me the fond/opus/delo where the records were kept and laid out what he would do for each data set.

        But once he had money, he wasn’t so fast to respond. If I’d email him reminding him that he’d last promised me the work done by a specific date and calling him out on his lies (and after a few months a scammer), he’d either not respond or respond with an excuse. He always acts surprised that I was upset–kind of like it was my fault, and how on earth could I be upset with him?!?

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      2. I hope this is not a lot of money. Maybe you should send him another message showing your comments on this blog to scare him to finish the work. I am sorry for this mess.

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    3. Dear Genealogy Geek (pardon, I have only your Nickname). I’ll tell you how I work. First of all we agree with the client the volume of work and the price he/she will be ready to pay, also period of time I’ll need for the research. And only AFTER I provide the results (i.e factual information, copies of documents from the archives) the client is paying for the service provided. In this case, I am risking , but in my opinion this more fair and reliable for the customer. I didn’t mean to say anything bad about your researcher (as I am not familiar with him), it is just a suggestion for my colleagues.

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  6. Joseph Pesterev

    Hello Vera, I am beginning the journey to look for my relatives in Siberia near a city called Chita. My grandfather was a Cossack and our family were victims of the “great terror”. Can you recommend someone that can do some research for me. My attempts have hit a brick wall. Thank you very much for publishing this resource it is very helpful.

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  7. Joseph Pesterey

    Hello Vera
    Thanks for this great resource, I followed you mouse trap advice and joined vk.com and ok.ru. I joined many groups in vk.com that I thought were relevant, even a group relating to older nursing home people, but no response. However ok.ru turned out to be a gold mine, gold rush, I got so many contacts that I have been spending the last week chatting on line to all these beautiful people who want to help. Two of them even visited the street number where our last contact was in 1983 to see what was there. Unfortunately the house is no longer there as is the village where my father was born (Farkovo near Sretensk) in the Chita oblast. I now think that my next step is to contact the Chita archives and if possible the Sretensk archives to find the names of my Uncles, Aunties and cousins.Then with the help of my support crew, most of them women I shall try to find them.I sent you a message a few weeks ago but it has not shown up.I read in your articles about a good translator program, what was it again? Thanks for your help I shall keep you informed on my progress. Wishing you a good day.

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    2. Oleg Shadrin

      Hello Joseph! I am from Irkutsk, Russia. I was born Sretensk area and I am a granchild of Pestereva Taisiya Spiridonovna from Farkovo. Maybe I have some useful information for you. We sent you a messege on the ok.ru with my email. Let’s contact. I will wait for a message from you!

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      1. Joseph Pesterey

        Hello Oleg, I have been looking for you, I know your name from the predistoria forum. You asked a question from the genealogy expert and voila` I found my family. I was never able to join the forum, for some reason they would not let me in. See you soon

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    1. I don’t. Sorry. I tried to get a recommendation on a Facebook genealogy group and I didn’t have luck. Are you a member of any Facebook genealogy groups where you could get a recommendation?

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      1. James Hannum

        Is this because people of the former USSR don’t believe that anyone could be interested in researching deceased relatives? Because Ukrainians have little money and jobs are scarse, one would think they would be very glad to do this work. Why not??

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      2. Genealogy has been growing over the years. Due to political repression, it was not best to know about your ancestors and relatives. Some families today won’t talk about the repression so genealogy isn’t as popular as in the English-speaking world. You should read my posts from my series- https://lostrussianfamily.wordpress.com/category/bending-curtain-a-changing-tide-in-genealogy-in-the-former-ussr/ It is very eye-opening about the attitudes on genealogy. Consider following my blog if you haven’t already done so. The series will continue throughout this year.

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    1. I am not sure about the researchers for Saint Petersburg. I haven’t contacted them in a few years. I’m not sure if they would be familiar with those areas. You could contact them and see what they say.

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  11. Hi The email & website links to Nikita Kovalchu & Vladimir Kreshchishin don’t work. I am tracing a Polish family of Kiev before 1914. I was there about a year ago without success and would appreciate assistance as I have found new info, Many thanks

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  13. Dan

    I can vouch for Igor Holyboroda. He’s done a large amount of research for me looking over records in the Lviv archives over the past couple months.

    I’ve sent him a number of different wire transfers for payment, and he always completes the work in a timely fashion, and will update you weekly on the status. Pricing is quite reasonable.

    The work he does is very thorough and he has helped build out a family line we knew very little about. I would have never found these records if I looked myself. We have added 100+ people to our tree because of him.

    If you can provide him with some names, dates and village he can take it from there.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  16. Tanja

    Hi I am looking for a family in Saint Petersburg. I wonder whether Blitz can be trusted, or you have a recommendation for somebody else. I ve seen that they have my family name listed on the list of distinguished persons during the Czar times.

    Thanks in advance

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    1. Yes, Blitz can be trusted. No one pays to be on the recommended researchers page. I have used Blitz and they seem very professional and know English well. Have you tried searching for your family on vk.com or ok.ru?

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  17. Loti Mackert

    I’m looking for help in the villlage of Glushkiv (from 1939), after that I’m told it’s called Ivano-Frankivsa Oblastj. (?)

    I’ve been working with a woman named Irina Kuelvy with Genealab. She wants me to wire her $300 Western Union to book the trip to that village. Then I’m supposed to give her another $300 to complete the work. Basically $600 for 40 hours of work.

    Since I’m not sure exactly what the going rate is, I fell conflicted. Plus, in the US, using Western Union is a very outdated practice. Is this common for international payments?

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    2. I am using a researcher from Genealab. I love my researcher. That is a very reasonable rate for research. I pay all of my researchers in Russia and Ukraine through Western Union. It is not an outdated practice. Western Union is very safe and popular.

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  18. Gina Morvay

    I’m trying to find a marriage certificate for my adopted daughter’s birthparents. The wedding would have happened between 1989-1991 in Kabardino-Balkaria. I have the mother’s name (am trying to locate the father’s name) and know municipal district and town where the marriage would have probably happened. is this the kind of thing which was also registered in the Russian State Historical Archive or does it have to be researched by someone local to that area? Is there a central database of all registered marriages in Russia? Also, they are Muslim, does this further complicate the research involved or how the marriage would be registered?

    Am trying to find a researcher who could do something like this. Many thanks!

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      2. I am so sorry. The law stinks. I have to wait another 16 years to see my father’s birth record. I will be 95 years old or dead when my grandfather’s death record can be copied for me.

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  19. Dear Vera, thank you so much for adding me to the list of researchers most of whom are my colleagues and friends. I hope my contribution will be valuable both for the clients and their Ukrainian families as well as for the blog itself. I personally invite you to Lviv (most probably you’ve already been here), but it is becoming even more beautiful and better organized for travelers. And, of course, I’ll be your guide too.

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  20. Tam

    Is the email address of Oleh Boyko still correct? I get an error message when I try to send an email. Looking for someone who can research Western Ukraine. Thank you.

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  21. Ashley Z

    Hello Vera, can you recommend anyone who researches the Poltava area and specializes in Jewish ancestry? I know Poltava can be tough because many records were destroyed in the second world war, but any recommendations you might have I will appreciate!

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      1. Ashley Z

        Thank you Vera for telling me this. Andriy has replied to nearly every request I’ve posted in a Ukrainian genealogy group offering to help. I have ignored each message.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Great to hear. Sadly, too many have been misled by him and lost a lot of money from him. My list of researchers are legit researchers. No one can pay me to be on my list.

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      3. nkhmiel

        Thank you. I started dealing with him. He just took my money (not much, luckily) and fled. I found someone else.

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      6. Dan

        I’m so glad I found this site. I have been communicating with andriy and grew skeptical but didn’t know where to turn. Thankfully I haven’t shared any documents with or paid him. Thank you

        Like

  22. Eddy Pieniazek

    I am very glad I found this website. I had been wondering whether to use Andriy for research, as he seemed co-operative. If he has a poor record should he not be banned from the facebook websites?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Happy that you have avoided Andriy. There have been many attempts to ban Andriy from the Facebook groups but it hasn’t been very successful. It is very sad the many people who have been misled by this questionable researcher. Anyone who is listed on my recommended researchers page can be used for research without concerns. Thank you for following my blog.

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      1. nkhmiel

        I should haves asked here and other people before hiring Andriy. He fled with my money, not much, though. I’m dealing with another genealogist who in matter of hours, not even, found info about my grandfather.

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  23. Milan

    Hello… I have been approached by Andriy who is questoned here… so seems I would not give him a chance… is there any recommended researcher for Pryshiyb in Zhitomir area?

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  24. Any suggestions on people who are able to research Russian ancestry in two separate locations: 1. Irkutsk (Siberia) and 2. Grīva-Zemgale or Zemgallen (Daugavpils, Latvia) Are records so inaccessible or destroyed that no records of history in these two locations?

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    1. I have another researcher who previously worked for the archives in Rostov Region. What topic and area of Rostov Region are you researching? I can check with her if she is still doing archive research. Vera

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      1. Arnep

        Thank you for the quick reply!
        I am researching Grushevka/Semimayachnyi/Shakty. Just trying to find something about my ancestors who lived in khutor there.

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      2. I contacted my researcher and she isn’t doing work in archives due to the COVD-19 situation. I don’t know another researcher that could help you. You could contact the archives directly but you will have to fill out two contracts to promise to pay the bill. I don’t know if your work will be too intensive for the archives during this COVID-19 situation.

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  26. katherynor

    Hi! I tried to post earlier but I think it didn’t go through. If I’m repeating, sorry! I’m helping a friend in Kyiv find his grandmother and descendants . She was taken to Germany as an Ostarbeiter and was born in Gogolevo, Brovarsky District.She ended up in the US after the war. I can’t find her in the database for Kyiv region Ostarbeiters that you recently recommended. Can you suggest a researcher and/or site that would help? He’s been trying to locate her for years. Thank you and I really appreciate your blog.

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  27. Dan

    I’m in need of a researcher to look up the birth record for my grandfather born in 1900 in Yalta, Russian Orthodox. I was going to use Andriy Kotynskyy but I’m glad I found recommendations here to not use him.

    TIA

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      1. Dan

        Thank you for the recommendation and I agree that the timing for this type of research may not be good right now.

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      2. However, it would be a good idea to line yourself up with one of these researchers now. When everything opens up, there will be a line. I know a researcher who works in western Ukraine and he has been working for a month now. FamilySearch International is back in Ukraine in some areas. There is hope to continue Ukrainian genealogy soon…

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    2. Alexander Gerzhan

      There are online records for Yalta on familysearch, at least 3 Orthodox churches with records for 1900, so the search can be done from home.

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      3. Dan

        I am looking there now but don’t know the church names in Yalta. I see churches in other place but not Yalta. Any help will be appreciated.

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  28. Clara L

    Hello! I’m so glad I googled Andriy before wiring my money. He seemed so promising, but it seems too good to be true. Thank you for warning us! I’m looking for someone who can help me research my Hungarian ancestors who were from what is now Mukachevo in Western Ukraine. Do you have any recommendations? Thank you!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hello Clara, You are welcome. I am happy that your money is safe. Any of the researchers listed for western Ukraine are good choices. You are welcome to join my Facebook group to get more guidance on your research- https://www.facebook.com/groups/findlostussrfamily/. Thanks for following my blog. FamilySearch just signed an agreement with the State Archives of Ivano-Frankivsk Region for digitizing records so maybe your ancestors’ area could be next on FamilySearch’s list. Vera

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