THE PROBLEM OF STATELESSNESS IN UKRAINE AND THE WAYS OF ADDRESSING IT with USSR passports who showed no desire to receive Ukrainian citizenship and passports. The story of Ilona Ilona was born in 1992 in a small Roma settlement in Odessa oblast. Unfortunately, neither she, nor the community knows her parents. She was raised by the Roma community she lived in. When she was 15 years old she did not apply for a Ukrainian citizen passport21. Later on Ilona also lost her only document – her birth certificate. Realizing the legal consequences of this loss, she girl applied for a renewed certificate but the authorities did not even accept her application arguing that she had no identity document. After a few more attempts, Ilona lost any hope of receiving the document. Meanwhile, she met a man with whom she wants to form a family. Hryhorii is a citizen of Ukraine and wants to officially register his relationship with Ilona,but they cannot do that she has no identity document. Currently, she expects a baby. Ilona’s problems came to the knowledge of the lawyers of Desyate Kvitnya organization, UNHCR’s implementing partner in Ukraine, after a survey among residents of the settlement she lives in. Like most Roma, Ilona cannot prove having a citizenship; hence she is at risk of statelessness. Now, she is undergoing a procedure to establish her identity, and, if successful, she will be entitled to obtain a Ukrainian passport. Among the problems faced by Roma when lodging citizenship applications, the surveyed organizations mention difficulties in the work with the Russian Federation Embassy and with the visa and registration department services. Among other, difficulties arise when applicants have no birth certificate and no proof of residence registration, and, strange as it may appear, the clients’ lack of reading and writing skills. Answering the question about the problems encountered by the clients when undergoing the citizenship acquisition procedure, the organizations also mention disregard of both oral and written requests from the applicants by relevant services, unwillingness to provide explanations by phone, demanding documents absent from the list, lengthy judicial procedures, increase of the 21 Ilona is a citizen of Ukraine pursuant to Article 16, Law of Ukraine on Citizenship of Ukraine as reworded on 8 October 1991 and valid as of 1992: a child staying in the territory of Ukraine, both parents whereof are unknown, shall be a citizen of Ukraine. 28