Monica Ellena

Eurasia editor

Monica Ellena

Monica has two decades of experience in media development and journalism with extensive reporting from the Balkans, the Middle East, and across the former Soviet Union. Her work has been published by leading international publications as well as in her native Italy. She focuses on human rights, conflict, disinformation and gender issues. Monica has compiled gender and conflict-sensitive reporting guidelines for journalists in the South Caucasus and Ukraine and contributed to relevant research on modern-day slavery and gendered disinformation.

Stories by the Author

Grave diggers shovel soil into the grave of a woman as her husband and son watch on April 20, 2022 in Bucha, Ukraine. Hundreds of Ukrainians killed in the Russian invasion in Bucha have been laid to rest in the cemetery.

Grave diggers shovel soil into the grave of a woman as her husband and son watch on April 20, 2022 in Bucha, Ukraine. Hundreds of Ukrainians killed in the Russian invasion in Bucha have been laid to rest in the cemetery. © John Moore/Getty Images

Universal Jurisdiction: a Key Tool for Accountability

Germany is at the forefront of prosecuting war crimes under the principle; the hope is that more countries will follow.

6 Feb 24

Ukrainians have dug trenches along the crescent-shaped 1,000km-long front. The ditches are surrounding with barbed wire; sandbags and wooden planks are positioned along the muddy walls.

Ukrainians have dug trenches along the crescent-shaped 1,000km-long front. The ditches are surrounding with barbed wire; sandbags and wooden planks are positioned along the muddy walls. © Oleh Arkhanhorodsky

Along the Frontline in Ukraine’s Unforgiving Winter

Fighting continues, but the gruelling cold takes a toll on soldiers in the trenches and civilians in destroyed villages.

15 Jan 24

Bellingcat is a Netherlands-based investigative journalism group that specialises in fact-checking and open-source intelligence (OSINT).

Integrating OSINT into Justice Processes

A Bellingcat initiative explores the admissibility and weight of open source evidence in the prosecution of war crimes.

5 Dec 23

People on makeshift beds in a shelter in Stepanakert, Karabakh’s regional centre. “This is one of the city’s main shelters, it is considered to a safe place but safety is a relative concept… Many children from various areas of the city came here,” said IWPR contributor Siranush Sargsyan.

People on makeshift beds in a shelter in Stepanakert, Karabakh’s regional centre. “This is one of the city’s main shelters, it is considered to a safe place but safety is a relative concept… Many children from various areas of the city came here,” said IWPR contributor Siranush Sargsyan. © Siranush Sargsyan

“Yesterday We Struggled to Find Bread, Today We Are Struggling to Live”

Hundreds of people have been killed or injured and thousands displaced following Azerbaijan's military action.

21 Sep 23

President of Russia Vladimir Putin.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin. © Daniel Jayo/Getty Images

Prosecuting Putin: How to Deliver Justice to Ukraine

The indictment’s specific focus keeps it distinct from other crimes and is important to avoid delays in delivering justice.

11 Jul 23

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