Barristers & Arbitrators

Admissions

2024         Barrister, Hong Kong

2022         Registered foreign lawyer, Singapore International Commercial Court 

2020         Solicitor, Hong Kong

2009          Advocate, the Russian Federation

Academic 

2006           Master of Laws, Paris-1 Pantheon-Sorbonne

2005           Bachelor and specialist of Public International Law, Moscow State Institute (University) of International Relations 

Practice profile

Ms. Boltenko is a barrister, arbitrator, and mediator with over a decade of experience in cross-border dispute resolution and international arbitration. Most recently with Fangda Partners in Hong Kong, Ms. Boltenko has also practised with leading arbitration teams in Paris and Singapore.

With a particular focus on public international law, investor-State dispute resolution, and commercial arbitration, Ms Boltenko has acted as legal counsel in investor-State disputes under the auspices of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the ICSID, the SCC, the ICC, the LCIA, and in various capacities in dozens of commercial disputes in a wide array of industries including oil and gas, mining, infrastructure, construction, telecommunications and pharmaceuticals, across Asia and beyond.

Ms. Boltenko teaches a master of laws degree in arbitration and ADR with a focus on Belt & Road investment law at The University of Hong Kong, where she is a deputy executive director. She is also a professor of law at the Royal University of Law and Economics in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, where she teaches a course in investment law at the dual degree program with the Free University of Brussels.

Arbitrator panel Memberships

Ms Boltenko is a board member of the Russian Arbitration Center at the Russian Institute of Modern Arbitration. She is empanelled with major global and regional arbitral institutions:

  • Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC)
 
  • Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC)
 
  • Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA)
 
  • Asia International Arbitration Centre (AIAC)
 
  • China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC)
 
  • Arbitration Foundation of Southern Africa (AFSA)
 
  • Xi’An Arbitration Commission (XAAC)
 
  • Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP)
 
  • Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration (SCIA)
 
  • Tashkent International Arbitration Center (TIAC)
 
  • Thai Arbitration Institute (TAI)
 
  • Thailand Arbitration Center (THAC)
 
  • British Virgin Islands International Arbitration Centre (BVIIAC)
 
  • Beihai Asia International Arbitration Centre (BAIAC)
 
  • Brunei Darussalam Arbitration Centre (BDAC)
 
  • Korean Commercial Arbitration Board (KCAB)
 
  • South China International Arbitration Center HK (SCIAHK)
 
  • Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC)
 
  • Hong Kong Bar Association Arbitrator List
  •  

Arbitration work

  • Sole arbitrator in an emergency arbitration under the KCAB rules arising out of a manufacturing and distribution agreement governed by Korean law with a seat in Seoul

  • Co-arbitrator in a high stakes SIAC arbitration arising out of a set of Russian law governed contracts for manufacturing and supply of vessels
 
  • Sole arbitrator in an SIAC dispute arising out of a contentious construction project in Mongolia, governed by Mongolian law with a seat in Singapore (emergency)
 
  • Sole arbitrator in a construction dispute governed by Mongolian law over a construction project located in Ulaanbaatar, conducted under the 2024 HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules (expedited procedure)
 
  • Sole arbitrator in a Hong Kong-seated HKIAC arbitration arising out of a services agreement with respect to ERP processes between a Singaporean and a Vietnamese party
 
  • Sole arbitrator in an HKIAC arbitration with a seat in Hong Kong arising out of a set of promissory notes governed by Hong Kong law
 
  • Presiding arbitrator in an HKIAC arbitration with a seat in Hong Kong arising out of a set of oil logging agreements
 
  • Co-arbitrator in an SCC arbitration with a seat in Stockholm arising out of a set of licensing agreements for manufacturing and distribution of beverages, governed by Danish law
 
  • Co-arbitrator in a high stakes ICC dispute arising out of a supply transaction between Eastern European and Germany entities with respect to a seaport
 
  • Presiding arbitrator in a dispute between a Chinese and a Central Asian entity arising out of a freight forwarding contract, with a seat in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, administered by the International Commercial Court at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Uzbekistan
 
  • Re-appointment: sole arbitrator in a construction dispute arising out of a residential premises construction project in Mongolia, conducted under the arbitration rules of the Mongolian International Arbitration Centre
 
  • Sole arbitrator in a construction dispute between a Russian sub-contractor and an Italian contractor, seated in Moscow and conducted under the Arbitration Rules of the Russian Arbitration Centre at the Russian Institute of Modern Arbitration 
 
  • Sole arbitrator in an ICC dispute arising out of a set of supply arrangements between a South Korean manufacturer and a Brazilian supplier, under Hong Kong law with a legal seat in Hong Kong
 
  • Sole arbitrator in a construction dispute under the Mongolian Arbitration Centre Rules arising out of a construction project in Ulaan Batar, under Mongolian law with a legal seat in Ulaan Batar
 
  • Sole arbitrator in an ad hoc arbitration arising out of a set of supply arrangements between a French party and a Malaysian party, with a seat in Kuala Lumpur
 
  • Co-arbitrator in a CIETAC dispute arising out of a set of manufacturing-related arrangements between a Russian party and a Belorussian party, under PRC law with a legal seat in Beijing
 
  • Sole arbitrator in a Russian Arbitration Centre dispute arising under a set of supply arrangements between two Russian parties, under Russian law with a legal seat in Moscow

Counsel and registrar work

  • Advising a Dubai based claimant in a set of Hong Kong seated HKIAC arbitrations with ancillary Russian court proceedings in an English law governed dispute arising out of a business acquisition

  • Representing a Dubai-based investment company in an HKIAC arbitration against an Indonesian trader in a dispute arising out of a set of assignment and repayment agreements governed by Hong Kong law
 
  • Representing a PRC company in an UNCITRAL arbitration arising out of a set of bitmining-related agreements under Kazakhstan and PRC law with a seat in Hong Kong
 
  • Advising a global video games manufacturer on licensing arrangements and on a potential dispute arising therefrom
 
  • Advising a US investor in a dispute involving enforcement of a commercial arbitral award via treaty arbitration, in Southeast Asia
 
  • Advising a group of companies (Singapore, Hong Kong, and PRC) on Singapore-seated complex multi-party arbitration under the SIAC rules with respect to manufacturing and distribution of certain retail goods in the PRC
 
  • Advising a Chinese manufacturer on a multi-million USD distribution dispute under SIAC Rules with a seat in Singapore
 
  • Advising an Eastern European shipbuilder on a contentious situation arising out of a blocked vessel in the PRC
 
  • Advising an Italian contractor in a large-scale infrastructure dispute in South Asia
 
  • Representing a major international agricultural business in a large-scale funds recovery effort in Hong Kong
 
  • Advising an Eastern European client on regulatory matters relating to trading gold in Hong Kong
 
  • Representing a party in a contentious situation involving blocked credit limits with respect to an agricultural trade transaction
 
  • Acting for a buyer in a potentially contentious acquisition of a substantial stock in a Hong Kong listed company
 
  • Advising an Eastern European bank on acquisition of a stake in a Hong Kong listed company
 
  • Advising Russian shareholders of a Hong Kong incorporated holding company on a shareholders dispute in Hong Kong with accompanying winding-up proceedings
 
  • Advising a Paraguayan entity in recovering amounts defrauded from the company in a large scale email scam
 
  • Advising a Chinese shareholder in a shareholders dispute relating to a JV in Hong Kong with main assets in the mainland China
 
  • Advising a Chinese shareholder in a shareholders dispute relating to an acquisition of a technology business in Europe
 
  • Representing a Chinese State-owned enterprise in investor-State negotiations of a dispute arising out of a large-scale nationalisation of an infrastructure investment project in Africa
 
  • Representing a European investor against a sovereign State in set aside proceedings before Hong Kong courts with respect to a Hong Kong-seated treaty arbitration
 
  • Representing a Russian individual in a dispute over bitminers and other cryptocurrency equipment in Hong Kong
 
  • Representing Armenia against a US national in an ICSID dispute under the US-Armenia BIT arising out of Armenia’s alleged breach of the BIT’s full protection and security standard
 
  • Representing AFK Sistema an ICSID arbitration against Turkmenistan arising out of Turkmenistan cancellation of mobile telecommunication licences
 
  • Representing Ukraine in ICSID Case ARB/06/18 Joseph Charles Lemire v Ukraine
 
  • Representing Ukraine in ICSID Case ARB/09/11 Global Trading Resources Corp. and Globex International, Inc. v Ukraine
 
  • Representing a Ukrainian state agency in a dispute under the PCA Environmental Rules over the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol in Ukraine
 
  • Acting as a PCA legal counsel in a set of ECT arbitrations against the Russian Federation over the expropriation of the Yukos Oil Company
 
  • Advising a major Russian bank on strategic issues of a large-scale transnational debt recovery effort
 
  • Representing a Japanese vehicle manufacturing company in a Brussels based ICC arbitration in a dispute arising out of a FIDIC construction contract
 
  • Representing a French construction company in a Stockholm based ICC arbitration in a dispute over a FIDIC construction contract
 
  • Representing a French Michelin star restaurant group in an IP dispute against a Hong Kong entity over multiple breaches of a licensing agreement

Expert witness work

  • Issued a legal opinion on the operation of deeds of release of claims under Hong Kong law

  • Acted as amicus curiae with respect to access to justice in Hong Kong before the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation

  • Issued a legal opinion with respect to compliance of a complex supply contract with laws and regulations of Hong Kong SAR
 
  • Issued a legal opinion under Hong Kong law on the impact of sanctions imposed by various jurisdictions on contract performance
 
  • Appeared as a Russian law expert witness in set aside proceedings in the Federal Courts of Australia

Publications

  • “Hong Kong’s foray into sanctions: how contracts are frustrated and what the Hong Kong judiciary thinks about it”, Hong Kong Lawyer, March 2025
 
 
 
  • “Balancing the Protection of Foreign Investors and States’ Responses in the (Post) Pandemic World: An Introduction”, Balancing the Protection of Foreign Investors and States Responses in the Post-Pandemic World, edt. by Y. Levashova, P. Accaoui Lorfing, 2022, Olga Boltenko
 
 
 
 
 
  • “Arbitration in Russia: Investment Law – Inception and Evolution”, International Arbitration: Issues, Perspectives and Practice, Liber Amicorum Neil Kaplan, January 2019; Olga Boltenko
 
 
 
  • “Investment Protection in China’s SEZs: Lee Jong Baek Case Study”, International Economic Law and the Challenges of the Free Zones, edt. by J. Chaisse and Jiaxiang Hu, 2019; Olga Boltenko
 
  • “Investment Protection in China’s Special Economic Zones: Lee Jong Baek Case Study”, Hong Kong Lawyer, January 2019; Olga Boltenko
 
  • “The Protection of Foreign Investment in Mongolia: A Bumpy Ride for Overseas Mining Investors?”, Asian Dispute Review, 2019; Olga Boltenko
 
 
 
 
 
  • “Political Risk Insurance along Belt & Road”, Asian Dispute Review, December 2017; Olga Boltenko
 
  • “A Russian roulette: the future of Russian investment law”, Offshore Investment, October 2017; Olga Boltenko
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  • “Arbitrating with Russia – ways to minimize sanctions-related risks”, Corporate Disputes, April 2015; Olga Boltenko, Karen Tan
 
 
  • “Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards in Russia and China”, Asian Dispute Review, January 2015; Olga Boltenko
 
  • “Hong Kong: Lord Hoffmann’s rule of law musings”, Global Arbitration Review, December 2014; Olga Boltenko
 
  • “Hong Kong emerges as Russia’s Refuge while the EU Sanction Cripple Major Russian Businesses”, Kluwer Arbitration Blog, November 2014; Olga Boltenko