Yulia was born in Russia and grew up in Italy. She studied abroad in Australia and completed her Master's Degree in the US, where she specialized in International Human Rights Law in the Post-Soviet space. She has experience working in the government, private, and non-profit sectors, in roles ranging from program management to organization of events and research. She currently works as a Development Operations Coordinator for Human Rights Watch, overseeing everything data in the EU/APAC regions.