Kuznia na Rybalskomu ( Ukrainian : "Кузня на Рибальському" ) is a ship building and armament company in Kyiv , Ukraine . Situated on the Dnieper River and presently concentrating on river ships, the company is also able to produce and repair small sea vessels (both civil and naval ), as well as various military equipment.
117-546: Kuznia na Rybalskomu was indirectly controlled by Ukrainian businessman and politician Petro Poroshenko and politician Ihor Kononenko as of 2017. In 2018, the company was bought by Serhiy Tihipko for $ 300 million. The main production facilities of the company have been situated on the Rybalskyi Island in Kyiv since 1928. The shipyard specializes in shipbuilding, ship machines building, and propeller production. In
234-533: A Ukrainian Jewish family, Zelenskyy grew up as a native Russian speaker in Kryvyi Rih , a major city of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in central Ukraine. He obtained a degree in law from the Kryvyi Rih Institute of Economics , but never practised law and pursued a career in comedy and entertainment. He created the production company Kvartal 95 , which produced films, cartoons, and TV shows including
351-432: A "Plan B" if the initial peace plan was rejected. In mid-June Poroshenko started the process of amending Ukraine's constitution to achieve Ukraine's administrative decentralization . According to Poroshenko (on 16 June 2014) this was "a key element of the peace plan ". In his draft constitutional amendments of June 2014 proposed changing the administrative divisions of Ukraine , which should include regions (replacing
468-506: A Jewish head of state and head of government. In his inaugural address, Zelenskyy dissolved the then Ukrainian parliament and called for early parliamentary elections (which had originally been due to be held in October of that year). One of the parliamentary coalition members, the People's Front , opposed the move and withdrew from the ruling coalition. On 28 May, Zelenskyy restored
585-469: A July phone call between the two presidents to investigate alleged wrongdoing by Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden , who took a board seat on Ukrainian natural gas company Burisma Holdings . This report was the catalyst for the Trump–Ukraine scandal and the impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump . Zelenskyy has denied that he was pressured by Trump and declared that "he does not want to interfere in
702-522: A Ukrainian newspaper said she was an accountant, who taught at a vocational and technical school of accounting. He also spent his childhood and youth in Tighina ( Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic , now known as Bender and under de facto control of the unrecognized breakaway state Transnistria ), where his father Oleksii was heading a machine building plant and where he learned Romanian . In his youth, Poroshenko practiced judo and sambo , and
819-582: A briefing to the press in the Office of the president of Ukraine and saying that he would explain everything about the visit when the time came. Zelenskyy's first official trip abroad as president was to Brussels in June 2019, where he met with EU and NATO officials. In August 2019, Zelenskyy promised to lift the moratorium on exhuming Polish mass graves in Ukraine after the previous Ukrainian government banned
936-554: A candidate for a second term in 2019 , Poroshenko was defeated by Volodymyr Zelenskyy . Poroshenko is a people's deputy of the Verkhovna Rada and leader of the European Solidarity party. Outside government, Poroshenko has been a prominent Ukrainian oligarch with a lucrative career in acquiring and building assets. His most recognized brands are Roshen , a large-scale confectionery company which has earned him
1053-683: A degree in economics from the international relations and law department (subsequently the Institute of International Relations) at the Kyiv University . At this university he was friends with Mikheil Saakashvili who he would appoint as Governor of the Odesa Oblast (region) in May 2015 and who is a former President of Georgia . In 1984, Poroshenko married a medical student, Maryna Perevedentseva (born 1962). Their first son, Oleksiy ,
1170-646: A foreign election." On a trip to the United States in September 2021, Zelenskyy engaged in talks and commitments with U.S. president Joe Biden, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin , Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm , and Secretary of State Antony Blinken . President Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena Zelenska also took part in the opening of the Ukrainian House in Washington, D.C. On
1287-505: A formal ceasefire with the separatists — the more than twentieth such attempt since the war began in 2014. Although the ceasefire was frequently violated over the next few years and overall violence remained high, ceasefire violations in 2020 did decrease by over 50 percent compared to the previous year. On 8 January 2020, the Presidential Office announced that Volodymyr Zelenskyy was cutting short his trip to Oman owing to
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#17327757446401404-539: A group of deputies. In June 2019 it was announced that the president's third major initiative, which seeks to remove immunity from lawmakers, diplomats and judges, would be submitted after the July 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election . This initiative was completed on 3 September, when the new parliament passed a bill stripping lawmakers of legal immunity, delivering Zelenskyy a legislative victory by fulfilling one of his key campaign promises. On 8 July, Zelenskyy ordered
1521-515: A key coalition partner in the Yatseniuk Government , came out against the plan. Volodymyr Zelenskyy [REDACTED] Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who is serving as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019, most notably during the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine , which has been ongoing since February 2022. Born to
1638-583: A law degree from the Kryvyi Rih Institute of Economics , then a department of Kyiv National Economic University and now part of Kryvyi Rih National University , but never worked in the legal field. At age 17, he joined his local team competing in the KVN comedy competition. He was soon invited to join the united Ukrainian team "Zaporizhzhia-Kryvyi Rih-Transit," which performed in the KVN's Major League and eventually won in 1997. That same year, he created and headed
1755-689: A party, naming it Party of Ukraine's Solidarity (PSU). In 2001 Poroshenko was instrumental in creating the Party of Regions , also loyal to Kuchma; the Party of Ukraine's Solidarity having merged into the Party of Regions, Poroshenko launched a new party with a similar name, the party " Solidarity ". In December 2001, Poroshenko broke ranks with Kuchma supporters to become campaign chief of Viktor Yushchenko 's Our Ukraine Bloc opposition faction. After parliamentary elections in March 2002 in which Our Ukraine won
1872-531: A personal holiday with government business. His office said Zelenskyy paid for the entire trip himself. Nevertheless, he was criticized for a lack of transparency and critics pointed out he had once criticized his predecessor Poroshenko for taking an undisclosed vacation in the Maldives . In January 2021, parliament passed a bill updating and reforming Ukraine's referendum laws, which Ukraine's Constitutional Court had declared unconstitutional in 2018. Fixing
1989-569: A plurality of the electorate (30%) in the first round of elections on 31 March 2019. In the second round, on 21 April 2019, he received 73 percent of the vote to Poroshenko's 25 percent and was elected President of Ukraine. Polish president Andrzej Duda was one of the first European leaders to congratulate Zelenskyy. French president Emmanuel Macron received Zelenskyy at the Élysée Palace in Paris on 12 April 2019. On 22 April, U.S. president Donald Trump congratulated Zelenskyy on his victory over
2106-461: A proponent of e-government and of unity between the Ukrainian - and Russian-speaking parts of the country's population . His communication style makes extensive use of social media , particularly Instagram . His party won a landslide victory in the snap legislative election held shortly after his inauguration as president. During the first two years of his administration, Zelenskyy oversaw
2223-642: A shipyard. During the Soviet period the LK shipyard also was known as the Ship-building Factory SSZ #302 . In 1995, the company completed a change in ownership and open-type joint Stock Company was set up named Leninska Kuznia Plant . The machine building sector still constitutes a high percentage in general scope of production. In 2017 the plant changed its name to Kuznia na Rybalskomu (the Smithy on
2340-636: A trust fund. Poroshenko first won a seat in the Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian Parliament) in 1998 for the 12th single-mandate constituency . He was initially a member of the United Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (SDPU), the party led by Viktor Medvedchuk and loyal to president Leonid Kuchma at the time. Poroshenko left SDPU(o) in 2000 to create an independent left -of- center faction and then
2457-628: Is not considered civil service work, lustration did not apply to him. A number of the members of the Presidential Administration Zelenskyy appointed were former colleagues from his former production company, Kvartal 95, including Ivan Bakanov, who became deputy head of the Ukrainian Secret Service (SBU). Former deputy foreign minister Olena Zerkal declined an appointment as deputy head of the presidential administration, but did agree to serve as
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#17327757446402574-601: Is still ongoing. Zelenskyy's strategy during the Russian military buildup was to calm the Ukrainian populace and assure the international community that Ukraine was not seeking to retaliate. He initially distanced himself from warnings of an imminent war, while also calling for security guarantees and military support from NATO to "withstand" the threat. When Russia launched its full-scale invasion, Zelenskyy remained in Kyiv, declining international offers to evacuate him from
2691-575: The 2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine and to the Ukrainian nationalist groups that oppose them, but added: "Talking to gangsters and killers is not our path." He also called for early regional elections in Eastern Ukraine . Poroshenko stated that he would sign the economic part of the Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement and that this was the first step towards full Ukrainian EU Membership . During
2808-409: The 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election with closed lists based on the reasoning that the 60-day term to the snap election did not "leave any chances for the introduction of this system." In addition, on 6 June, lawmakers refused to include Zelenskyy's key initiative on reintroducing criminal liability for illegal enrichment in the parliament's agenda, and instead included a similar bill proposed by
2925-604: The Azarov Government ; on 9 March 2012, President Yanukovych stated he wanted Poroshenko to work in the government in the post of economic development and trade minister. On 23 March 2012, Poroshenko was appointed economic development and trade minister of Ukraine by Yanukovych. The same month he stepped down as head of the Council of Ukraine's National Bank . Poroshenko claims that he became Minister of Trade and Economic Development to help bring Ukraine closer to
3042-498: The British Virgin Islands , Cyprus , and Belize . These companies included some that owned expensive London property. Around the time of his 2019 election , Zelenskyy handed his shares in a key offshore company over to Serhiy Shefir , but the two men appear to have arranged for Zelenskyy's family to continue receiving the money from these companies. Zelenskyy's election campaign had centred on pledges to clean up
3159-681: The European Union–Ukraine Association Agreement . Poroshenko's domestic policy promoted the Ukrainian language , nationalism , inclusive capitalism , decommunization , and administrative decentralization . In 2018, Poroshenko helped create the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Ukraine , separating Ukrainian churches from the Moscow Patriarchate . His presidency was distilled into a three-word slogan, employed by both supporters and opponents: armiia, mova, vira (English: military , language , faith ). As
3276-751: The Government . Poroshenko did not run in the September 2007 parliamentary election . Poroshenko started heading the Council of Ukraine's National Bank in February 2007. Between 1999 and 2012 he was a board member of the National Bank of Ukraine. Ukrainian President Yushchenko nominated Poroshenko for Foreign Minister on 7 October 2009. Poroshenko was appointed by the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) on 9 October 2009. On 12 October 2009, President Yushchenko re-appointed Poroshenko to
3393-720: The National Alliance of freedom and Ukrainian patriotism "OFFENSIVE" (NASTUP), which was renamed "All-Ukrainian Union Solidarity" (BOS). Poroshenko actively and financially supported the Euromaidan protests between November 2013 and February 2014, leading to an upsurge in his popularity, although he did not participate in negotiations between then President Yanukovych and the Euromaidan parliamentary opposition parties Batkivshchyna , Svoboda and UDAR . In an interview with Lally Weymouth , Poroshenko said: "From
3510-838: The OSCE Chairman-in-Office Didier Burkhalter , President of Germany Joachim Gauck , President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili , Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper , Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán , President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy , the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier , UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feldman , China's Minister of Culture Cai Wu and Ambassador of Russia to Ukraine Mikhail Zurabov Former Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko
3627-581: The Presidential Administration of Ukraine . Before this, Bohdan had been the lawyer of Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoyskyi. Under the rules of Lustration in Ukraine , introduced in 2014 following Euromaidan , Bohdan is not entitled to hold any state office until 2024 (because of his government post during the Second Azarov Government ). Bohdan, however, contended that because heading the presidential administration
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3744-507: The Roshen group in 1996, creating the largest confectionery manufacturing operation in Ukraine . His business success in this industry earned him the nickname "Chocolate King". Poroshenko's business empire also includes several car and bus factories, Kuznia na Rybalskomu shipyard, the 5 Kanal television channel, as well as other businesses in Ukraine. Although not the most prominent in
3861-605: The Russo-Ukrainian War Zelenskyy's Kvartal 95 had donated ₴ 1 million to the Ukrainian army , some Russian politicians and artists petitioned for a ban on his works in Russia. In 2015, Zelenskyy became the star of the television series Servant of the People , where he played the role of the president of Ukraine. In the series, Zelenskyy's character was a high-school history teacher in his 30s who won
3978-663: The Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 plane crash in nearby Iran the same day. Also on the same day, internet news site Obozrevatel.com released information that on 7 January 2020, Ukrainian politician of the Opposition Platform — For Life Medvedchuk – who has exclusive relations with the current president of Russia – may have arrived in Oman. Soon, rumors began that Zelenskyy may have had some additional meetings beside
4095-631: The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic . His father, Oleksandr Zelenskyy , is a professor and computer scientist and the head of the Department of Cybernetics and Computing Hardware at the Kryvyi Rih State University of Economics and Technology ; his mother, Rymma Zelenska, is a retired engineer. His grandfather, Semyon Zelenskyy [ uk ] , served as an infantryman, reaching
4212-598: The committee on European Integration . Poroshenko's father Oleksii did intend to take part in the elections too in single-member district number 16 (also located in Vinnytsia Oblast), but withdrew his candidacy for health reasons. In mid-February 2013, Poroshenko hinted he would run for Mayor of Kyiv in the 2013 Kyiv mayoral election. In 2013, the registration certificate of Solidarity was cancelled because it had not participated in any election for more than 10 years. Poroshenko then launched and became leader of
4329-449: The economy and attract investment to Ukraine through "a restart of the judicial system " and restoring confidence in the state. He also proposed a tax amnesty and a 5-per-cent flat tax for big business which could be increased "in dialogue with them and if everyone agrees." According to Zelenskyy, if people would notice that his new government "works honestly from the first day," they would start paying their taxes. Zelenskyy achieved
4446-434: The government of Ukraine . In March 2018, members of Zelenskyy's production company Kvartal 95 registered a new political party called Servant of the People – the same name as the television program that Zelenskyy had starred in over the previous three years. Although Zelenskyy denied any immediate plans to enter politics and said he had registered the party name only to prevent it being appropriated by others, there
4563-409: The international community . After the inauguration, Poroshenko launched a "peace" plan envisioned to garner the recognition of the presidential elections in Ukraine by Russia, consisting of a cease-fire with the separatists (named "terrorists" by Poroshenko himself) and the establishment of a humanitarian corridor for civilians ("who are not involved in the conflict"). Poroshenko warned that he had
4680-638: The minister of trade and economic development in 2012. From 2007 until 2012, he headed the Council of Ukraine's National Bank . He was elected president in 2014 . During his presidency, Poroshenko led the country through the first phase of the war in Donbas , pushing the Russian separatist forces into the Donbas Region . He began the process of integration with the European Union by signing
4797-470: The "strategy for de-occupation and reintegration of the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol ." By October 2021, Zelenskyy's approval rating had fallen further to 24.7%, but was still above or on par with most of his predecessors' at the same point in their presidencies. One of Zelenskyy's central campaign promises had been to end
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4914-495: The Donbas "don't represent anybody. We have to restore law and order and sweep the terrorists off the street." He described as "fake" the planned 11 May Donbas status referendums . When it became clear he had won the election on election day evening (on 25 May 2014) Poroshenko announced his "first presidential trip will be to Donbas ", where armed pro-Russian rebels had declared the separatist republics Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic and control part of
5031-673: The Dutch Chamber of Commerce only contain the book value of the shares, which is very likely to be lower than the market value. After his election, Poroshenko lost the billionaire status as his net worth dropped by 40% to reach $ 705 million. A number of businesses were once part of the Ukrprominvest which Poroshenko headed in 1993–1998. The investment group was dissolved in April 2012. Poroshenko has stated that upon beginning his political activity he passed on his holdings to
5148-606: The EU and get Yulia Tymoshenko released from prison . After he took the post, tax inspectors launched an attack on his business. Poroshenko returned to the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) after the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election after winning (with more than 70%) as an independent candidate in single-member district number 12 ( first-past-the-post wins a parliamentary seat) located in Vinnytsia Oblast . He did not enter any faction in parliament and became member of
5265-602: The European Parliament, thanking Gowin's party colleague Paweł Kowal for supporting Ukraine. Poroshenko's election slogan was: "Live in a new way – Poroshenko!". On 29 May, the Central Election Commission of Ukraine announced that Poroshenko had won 25 May presidential election, with 54.7% of the votes. During his visit in Berlin , Poroshenko stated that Russian separatists in
5382-526: The Fishers' [Island]). On January 30, 2015, it was announced that the plant had started production of two new armored vehicles: Tryton (literally Newt ) and Arbalet (literally Crossbow ) in accordance to NATO standards. On November 10, 2015, the plant finished the first two Gyurza-M-class artillery boats for the Ukrainian Navy, which were later named "Ackerman" and "Berdyansk". In June 2017,
5499-479: The Kremlin by leaving Ukrainians vulnerable to Russian aggression. Ultimately, the peace deal failed to reduce the violence, much less end the war. In December 2019, Russia and Ukraine agreed to resume talks mediated by France and Germany under the so-called Normandy Format , which had been abandoned in 2016; it was Zelenskyy's first face-to-face meeting with Vladimir Putin. In July 2020, Zelenskyy announced
5616-699: The Kvartal 95 team, which later transformed into the comedy outfit Kvartal 95. From 1998 to 2003, Kvartal 95 performed in the Major League and the highest open Ukrainian league of KVN, and the team members spent a lot of time in Moscow and constantly toured around post-Soviet countries . In 2003, Kvartal 95 started producing TV shows for the Ukrainian TV channel 1+1 , and in 2005, the team moved to fellow Ukrainian TV channel Inter . In 2008, he starred in
5733-480: The National Security and Defense Council. Poroshenko supported Ukrainian NATO-membership , and said NATO membership should not be a goal in itself. Although Poroshenko was dismissed as foreign minister on 11 March 2010, President Viktor Yanukovych expressed hope for further cooperation with him. In late February 2012, Poroshenko was named as the new Minister of Trade and Economic Development in
5850-426: The People, won the first single-party majority in modern Ukrainian history in parliament, with 43 percent of the party-list vote. His party gained 254 of the 424 seats. Following the elections, Zelenskyy nominated Oleksiy Honcharuk as prime minister, who was quickly confirmed by parliament. Parliament also confirmed Andrii Zahorodniuk as defence minister, Vadym Prystaiko as foreign minister and Bakanov as head of
5967-704: The Polish side from carrying out any exhumations of Polish victims of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army -perpetrated Volhynian massacres , following the removal of a memorial to the Ukrainian Insurgent Army in Hruszowice , southeastern Poland. In September 2019, it was reported that U.S. president Trump had allegedly blocked payment of a congressionally mandated $ 400-million military aid package to Ukraine to pressure Zelenskyy during
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#17327757446406084-455: The Rada, Zelenskyy recommitted to reforms domestic and financial, and remarked that he "cannot always become a psychologist for people, a crisis manager for someone, a collector who requires honestly earned money, and a nanny of the ministry in charge." By September 2020, Zelenskyy's approval ratings had fallen to less than 32 percent. On 24 March 2021, Zelenskyy signed Decree 117/2021 approving
6201-405: The Roshen Concern." He also said in early April that the level of popular support for the idea of Ukraine's joining NATO was too small to put on the agenda "so as not to ruin the country". He also vowed not to sell his 5 Kanal television channel. On 14 April, Poroshenko publicly endorsed the campaign of Jarosław Gowin 's party Poland Together of neighboring Poland in that year's elections to
6318-448: The Russo-Ukrainian War and resolve the Russia-sponsored separatist movement there. On 3 June, Zelenskyy appointed former president Leonid Kuchma as Ukraine's representative in the Tripartite Contact Group for a settlement in the conflict. On 11 July 2019, Zelenskyy held his first telephone conversation with Russian president Vladimir Putin , during which he urged Putin to enter into talks mediated by EU. The two leaders also discussed
6435-440: The SBU. Arsen Avakov , a controversial figure due to longstanding corruption allegations, was kept on as interior minister , with Honcharuk arguing that the relatively inexperienced government needed experienced administrators and that Avakov had been "'drawn red lines' that cannot be crossed." Zelenskyy dismissed Bohdan as head of his presidential administration on 11 February 2020 and appointed Andriy Yermak as his successor
6552-484: The Servant of the People series and Zelenskyy's other comedy shows, and argued along with fellow scholar Mattia Zulianello that Zelenskyy and his party were examples of "valence populism" focused on "non-positional topics, such as anti-corruption appeals, political transparency and moral integrity", rather than "economic and socio-cultural issues". Before the elections, Zelenskyy presented a team that included former finance minister Oleksandr Danylyuk and others. During
6669-464: The TV channel 1+1 . A political outsider, he had already become one of the frontrunners in opinion polls for the election months before he confirmed his candidacy. He won the election with 73.23 percent of the vote in the second round, defeating Poroshenko in the biggest landslide in the history of Ukrainian presidential elections . Zelenskyy has positioned himself as an anti-establishment and anti-corruption figure. As president, he has been
6786-431: The TV channel 1+1. His announcement up-staged the New Year's Eve address of incumbent president Petro Poroshenko on the same channel, which Zelenskyy said was unintentional and attributed to a technical glitch. Zelenskyy's presidential campaign against Poroshenko was almost entirely virtual. He did not release a detailed policy platform and his engagement with mainstream media was minimal; he instead reached out to
6903-454: The TV series Servant of the People , in which Zelenskyy played a fictional Ukrainian president. The series aired from 2015 to 2019 and was immensely popular. A political party with the same name as the TV show was created in March 2018 by employees of Kvartal 95. Zelenskyy announced his candidacy in the 2019 presidential election on the evening of 31 December 2018, alongside the New Year's Eve address of then-president Petro Poroshenko on
7020-502: The Ukrainian citizenship of Mikheil Saakashvili . Zelenskyy's first major proposal to change the electoral system from a plurality voting system to proportional representation with closed party lists was strongly rejected by the Ukrainian parliament , due to the belief that closed lists would lead to more corruption in government. Zelenskyy had earlier called for the introduction of open list election ballots, such as during his inauguration speech, but his proposal would have held
7137-409: The Ukrainian representative of the international courts concerning Russia. Zelenskyy's requests to replace the foreign minister, defence minister , chief prosecutor and head of Ukraine's security service were rejected by parliament. Zelenskyy also dismissed and replaced 20 of the governors of Ukraine's 24 oblasts . In the 21 July 2019 parliamentary election, Zelenskyy's political party, Servant of
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#17327757446407254-416: The agreement, including the far-right Azov fighters in the Luhansk region of Donbas. Zelenskyy met personally with some of these groups and tried to convince them to surrender their unregistered weapons and accept the peace accord. Andriy Biletsky , the leader of the far-right National Corps and first commander of Azov, accused Zelenskyy of being disrespectful to army veterans and of acting on behalf of
7371-536: The annual ranking of the richest people in Ukraine, published in October 2015 by the Ukrainian journal Novoye Vremya and conducted jointly with Dragon Capital , a leading investment company in Ukraine, president Poroshenko was found to be the only one from the top ten list whose asset value grew since the previous year's ranking. The estimate of his assets was set at US$ 979 million, a 20% growth, and his ranking increased from 9th to 6th wealthiest person in Ukraine. The article observed that Poroshenko remained one of
7488-474: The beginning, I was one of the organizers of the Maidan. My television channel — Channel 5 — played a tremendously important role. ... At that time, Channel 5 started to broadcast, there were just 2,000 people on the Maidan. But during the night, people went by foot — seven, eight, nine, 10 kilometers — understanding this is a fight for Ukrainian freedom and democracy. In four hours, almost 30,000 people were there." The BBC reported, "Mr Poroshenko owns 5 Kanal TV,
7605-467: The biggest share of the popular vote and Poroshenko won a seat in parliament, Poroshenko served as head of the parliamentary budget committee, where he was accused of "misplacing ₴47 million" (US$ 8.9 million). As a consequence of Poroshenko's Our Ukraine Bloc membership tax inspectors launched an attack on his business. Despite great difficulties, UkrPromInvest managed to survive until Yushchenko became President of Ukraine in 2005. Poroshenko
7722-527: The campaign, concerns were raised over his links to the oligarch Ihor Kolomoyskyi , a billionaire businessman who had gained control of the 1+1 Media Group in 2010. The group operates eight Ukrainian TV channels and broadcast the Servant of the People TV series from 2015 until 2019, featuring Zelenskyy playing the President of Ukraine. Poroshenko and his supporters claimed that Zelenskyy's victory would benefit Russia. On 19 April 2019 at Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex presidential debates were held in
7839-405: The cancellation of the annual Kyiv Independence Day Parade on Maidan Nezalezhnosti , citing costs. Despite this, Zelenskyy highlighted that the day would "honor heroes" on Independence Day, however, the "format will be new." He also proposed to spend the money that would have been used to finance the parade on veterans. In 2020, Zelenskyy's party proposed reforms to Ukraine's media laws with
7956-424: The capital under attack; he declared martial law across Ukraine and a general mobilisation of the armed forces. Zelenskyy was named the Time Person of the Year for 2022. He has frequently visited frontline and newly liberated areas, and has regularly appeared unshaven and wearing an olive-green, military-style shirt instead of a suit. Zelenskyy's term was originally scheduled to end in May 2024, but
8073-458: The ceremony in Ukraine's parliament ( Verkhovna Rada ), including Salome Zourabichvili ( Georgia ), Kersti Kaljulaid ( Estonia ), Raimonds Vējonis ( Latvia ), Dalia Grybauskaitė ( Lithuania ), János Áder ( Hungary ), Maroš Šefčovič (EU), and Rick Perry (United States). Zelenskyy is the first Jewish president of Ukraine; with Volodymyr Groysman as prime minister, Ukraine became the first country other than Israel to simultaneously have
8190-449: The confectionery and automotive industries (as well as in other agricultural processing later on). Poroshenko was director-general of the company from its founding until 1998, when in connection with his entry into parliament he handed the title over to his father, while retaining the title of honorary president. Between 1996 and 1998, UkrPromInvest acquired control over several state-owned confectionery enterprises which were combined into
8307-456: The current oblasts ), districts and " hromadas " (united territorial communities). In these amendments he proposed that "Village, city, district and regional administrations will be able to determine the status of the Russian language and other national minority languages of Ukraine in accordance with the procedure established by the law and within the borders of their administrative and territorial units". He proposed that Ukrainian remained
8424-449: The electorate via social media channels and YouTube clips. In place of traditional campaign rallies, he conducted stand-up comedy routines across Ukraine with his production company Kvartal 95. On 16 April 2019, a few days before the election, 20 Ukrainian news outlets called on Zelenskyy to "stop avoiding journalists." Zelenskyy stated that he was not hiding from journalists but that he did not want to go to talk shows where "people of
8541-456: The exchange of prisoners held by both sides. In October 2019, Zelenskyy announced a preliminary deal struck with the separatists, under which the Ukrainian government would respect elections held in the region in exchange for Russia withdrawing its unmarked troops . The deal was met with heavy criticism and protests by both politicians and the Ukrainian public. Detractors noted that elections held in Donbas were unlikely to be free and fair, that
8658-531: The feature film Love in the Big City , and its sequel, Love in the Big City 2 . Zelenskyy continued his movie career with the film Office Romance. Our Time in 2011 and with Rzhevsky Versus Napoleon in 2012. Love in the Big City 3 was released in January 2014. Zelenskyy also played the leading role in the 2012 film 8 First Dates and in sequels that were produced in 2015 and 2016. He recorded
8775-399: The field of shipbuilding, the plant specializes in building medium fishing vessels, industrial ships and vessels of technical fleet, self-propelled and non-self-propelled barges. Machine building includes steam and hot-water automated boiler units, plate freezing apparatuses, and incinerators. Propeller production includes controllable-pitch propeller (CPP), blades, and lines of shafting. It
8892-488: The following month, immediately after Yushchenko dismissed Sviatoslav Piskun , General Prosecutor of Ukraine . Piskun claimed that he was sacked because he refused to institute criminal proceedings against Tymoshenko and refused to drop proceedings against Poroshenko. In the March 2006 parliamentary election , Poroshenko was re-elected to the Ukrainian parliament with the support of Our Ukraine electoral bloc. He chaired
9009-525: The form of a show. In his introductory speech, Zelenskyy acknowledged that in 2014 he voted for Poroshenko, but "I was mistaken. We were mistaken. We voted for one Poroshenko, but received another. The first appears when there are video cameras, the other Petro sends Medvedchuk privietiki (greetings) to Moscow." Although Zelenskyy initially said he would serve only a single term, he walked back this promise in May 2021, saying he had not yet made up his mind. Zelenskyy stated that as president he would develop
9126-411: The intent to increase competition and loosen the dominance of Ukrainian oligarchs on television and radio broadcasters. Critics said it risked increasing media censorship in Ukraine because its clause of criminal responsibility for the distribution of disinformation could be abused. In January 2020, Zelenskyy took a trip to Oman that was not published on his official schedule, appearing to combine
9243-522: The intention of the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture to ban Russian artists from Ukraine. Since 2015, Ukraine has banned some Russian artists and Russian media and art from entering Ukraine. In 2018, the romantic comedy Love in the Big City 2 starring Zelenskyy was banned in Ukraine due to the film not following the Law of Ukraine on cinematography. After the Ukrainian media reported that during
9360-878: The lifting of legal immunity for members of parliament (the Verkhovna Rada ), the country's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic recession , and some limited progress in tackling corruption in Ukraine . A poll in May 2021 by the Rating Group gave Zelenskyy the highest trust rating out of all Ukrainian presidents, and ranked him as the second-best president after Leonid Kuchma . During his presidential campaign, Zelenskyy promised to end Ukraine's protracted conflict with Russia , and he has attempted to engage in dialogue with Russian president Vladimir Putin . His administration faced an escalation of tensions with Russia in 2021, culminating in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which
9477-800: The list of his business holdings, the assets that drew much recent media attention, and often controversy, are the confectionery factory in Lipetsk , Russia, that became controversial due to the Russian military intervention in Ukraine (2014–present) , the Sevastopol Marine Plant (Sevmorzavod) that has been confiscated after the 2014 Russian forcible annexation of Crimea and the media outlet 5 kanal , particularly because of Poroshenko's repeated refusal to sell an influential media asset following his accession to presidency. According to Poroshenko (and Rothschild Wealth Management & Trust ) since becoming President of Ukraine he has relinquished
9594-479: The management of his businesses, ultimately (in January 2016) to a blind trust . In March 2012, Forbes placed him on the Forbes list of billionaires at 1,153rd place, with US$ 1 billion. As of May 2015, Poroshenko's net worth was about US$ 720 million ( Bloomberg estimate), losing 25 percent of his wealth because of Russia's ban of Roshen products and the state of the Ukrainian economy. According to
9711-517: The most popular news channel in Ukraine, which showed clear pro-opposition sympathies during the months of political crisis in Kiev." Poroshenko refused to join the Yatseniuk Government (although he introduced his colleague Volodymyr Groysman , the mayor of Vinnytsia , into it), nor did he join any of the two newly created parliamentary factions Economic Development and Sovereign European Ukraine . On 24 April 2014, Poroshenko visited Luhansk , at
9828-486: The nickname of "Chocolate King", and his TV news channel 5 Kanal , which he was forced to sell to comply with anti-oligarch legislation in November 2021. He is considered an oligarch due to the scale of his business holdings in manufacturing, agriculture and finance, his political influence from several stints in government prior to his presidency, and his ownership of an influential mass-media outlet. Petro Poroshenko
9945-527: The office of President of Ukraine, new presidential elections were scheduled to take place on 25 May 2014. In pre-election polls from March 2014, Poroshenko garnered the most support of all the prospective candidates, with one poll conducted by SOCIS giving him a rating of over 40%. On 29 March he stated that he would run for president; at the same time Vitali Klitschko left the presidential contest, choosing to support Poroshenko's bid. On 2 April, Poroshenko stated, "If I am elected, I will be honest and sell
10062-411: The old power" were "just doing PR " and that he did not have time to satisfy all interview requests. Zelenskyy styled himself as an anti-establishment , anti-corruption figure, and said he wished to restore trust in politicians, "to bring professional, decent people to power" and to "change the mood and timbre of the political establishment." . Atlantic Council member Anders Aslund said Zelenskyy
10179-457: The ones that were announced. On 14 January 2020, Yermak dismissed the rumors as speculations and baseless conspiracy theories, while Medvedchuk stated that the plane was used by his older daughter's family to fly from Oman to Moscow. Later, Yermak contacted the on-line newspaper Ukrainian Truth and gave more details about the visit to Oman and the plane crash in Iran. On 17 January 2020,
10296-532: The ongoing Russian invasion and the imposition of martial law prevented the regularly scheduled presidential election from being conducted. He is expected to remain president for the duration of the Russo-Ukrainian War. Due to this extension of his term, Zelenskyy is the second-longest serving president in Ukrainian history, after only Kuchma. Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy was born to Jewish parents on 25 January 1978 in Kryvyi Rih , then in
10413-429: The only state language of Ukraine. Poroshenko proposed to create the post of presidential representatives who would supervise the enforcement of the Ukrainian constitution and laws and the observation of human rights and freedoms in oblasts and raions / raions of cities . In case of an "emergency situation or martial law regime" they will "guide and organize" in the territories they are stationed in. Batkivshchyna ,
10530-454: The only two European leaders who owned a business empire of such scale, with Silvio Berlusconi of Italy being the other. A total of €450 million is kept in an Amsterdam-based company registered in Cyprus, as a result of which his effective tax rate is 5% rather than the statutory tax rate of 18% in Ukraine. The company is probably to be worth much more, as the annual accounts published by
10647-634: The parliamentary Committee on Finance and Banking. Allegedly, since Poroshenko claimed the post of Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament for himself, the Socialist Party of Ukraine chose to be part of the Alliance of National Unity because it was promised that their party leader, Oleksandr Moroz , would be elected chairman if the coalition were formed. This left Poroshenko's Our Ukraine and their ally Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc out of
10764-427: The plant finished artillery boats of Gyurza-M-class for the Ukrainian Navy, which were named "Vyshhorod", "Kremenchuk", "Lubny" and "Nikopol". Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiiovych Poroshenko (born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko served as the minister of foreign affairs from 2009 to 2010, and as
10881-534: The presidential appointee Minister of Foreign Affairs, Prystaiko, was unable to give answers during the "times of questions to the government" in parliament when the people's deputies of Ukraine asked him about the visit's official agenda, the invitation from Oman, officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who were preparing the visit, as well as how the president actually crossed the border while visiting Oman. On 20 January 2020, Prystaiko followed up by giving
10998-476: The presidential election after a viral video showed him ranting against the government corruption in Ukraine . The comedy series Svaty ("In-laws"), in which Zelenskyy appeared, was banned in Ukraine in 2017, but unbanned in March 2019. Zelenskyy worked mostly in Russian-language productions. His first role in the Ukrainian language was the romantic comedy I, You, He, She , which appeared on
11115-444: The privatizations of state-owned firms. Poroshenko, for example, was accused of defending the interests of Viktor Pinchuk , who had acquired state firm Nikopol Ferroalloy for $ 80 million, independently valued at $ 1 billion. In response to the allegations, Yushchenko dismissed his entire cabinet of ministers , including Poroshenko and Tymoshenko. State prosecutors dismissed an abuse of power investigation against Poroshenko
11232-452: The public register would be both dangerous, as it concentrated power in the president; and ineffective, since oligarchs were merely a "symbol" of more deeply-rooted corruption. The bill was passed into law in September 2021. Critics of Zelenskyy's administration have claimed that, in taking power away from the Ukrainian oligarchs, he has sought to centralize authority and strengthen his position. Zelenskyy appointed Andriy Bohdan as head of
11349-584: The rank of colonel in the Red Army (in the 57th Guards Motor Rifle Division ) during World War II ; Semyon's father and three brothers were killed in the Holocaust . In March 2022, Zelenskyy said that his great-grandparents had been killed after German troops burned their home to the ground during a massacre . His grandmother survived World War II after leaving Kryvyi Rih in an evacuation of Jews to Almaty , Kazakhstan , and returned to Ukraine after
11466-475: The referendum law had been one of Zelenskyy's campaign promises. In June 2021, Zelenskyy submitted to the Verkhovna Rada a bill creating a public registry of Ukraine's oligarchs, banning them from participating in privatizations of state-owned companies and forbidding them from contributing financially to politicians. Opposition party leaders supported Zelenskyy's goal of reducing oligarchs' influence on politics in Ukraine but were critical of his approach, saying
11583-588: The region. Poroshenko also vowed to continue the military operations by the Ukrainian government forces to end the armed insurgency claiming: "The anti-terrorist operation cannot and should not last two or three months. It should and will last hours." He compared the armed pro-Russian rebels to Somali pirates . Poroshenko also called for negotiations with Russia in the presence of international intermediaries. Russia responded by saying it did not need an intermediary in its bilateral relations with Ukraine. As president-elect, Poroshenko promised to return Crimea, which
11700-414: The same day. In March 2020, Honchurak resigned as prime minister following the leak of an audio recording in which he appeared to belittle Zelenskyy's economic management. Honchurak was replaced as prime minister Denys Shmyhal . Honchurak's hasty departure caused disquiet both in Ukraine and abroad, with many economists and political observers warning it would bring instability. In his 4 March address to
11817-667: The same time, he was deputy director of the 'Republic' Union of Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs, and the CEO "Exchange House Ukraine". Poroshenko's brother, Mykhailo, older by eight years, died in a 1997 car crash under mysterious circumstances. In 1993, Poroshenko, together with his father Oleksii and colleagues from the Road Traffic Institute in Kyiv, created the UkrPromInvest Ukrainian Industry and Investment Company, which specialized in
11934-654: The screens of Ukraine in December 2018. The first version of the script was written in Ukrainian but was translated into Russian for the Lithuanian actress Agnė Grudytė . Later, the movie was dubbed into Ukrainian. In October 2021, the Pandora Papers revealed that Zelenskyy, his chief aide, and the head of the Security Service of Ukraine Ivan Bakanov operated a network of offshore companies in
12051-532: The separatists had long driven most pro-Ukrainian residents out of the region to ensure a pro-Russia majority, and that it would be impossible to ensure Russia kept its end of the agreement. Zelenskyy defended his negotiations, saying the elections would not be held before a Russian withdrawal. The agreement failed to ease the conflict, as the separatists continued their attacks and Russia continued providing them with weapons and ammunition. Several Ukrainian nationalist militias and former militias also refused to accept
12168-494: The speech, he stated he saw " Ukrainian as the only state language" but also spoke of the "guarantees [of] the unhindered development of Russian and all the other languages ". Part of the speech was in Russian. The inauguration was attended by about 50 foreign delegations, including US Vice President Joe Biden , President of Poland Bronisław Komorowski , President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko , President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė , President of Switzerland and
12285-580: The telephone. European Commission president Jean Claude Juncker and European Council president Donald Tusk also issued a joint letter of congratulations and stated that the European Union (EU) will work to speed up the implementation of the remainder of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement , including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area . Zelenskyy was inaugurated on 20 May 2019. Various foreign officials attended
12402-463: The time not controlled by Ukrainian authorities . Just like previously in Crimea he was met by a blockade of hundreds of pro-Russian locals at Luhansk Airport . Poroshenko later claimed: "When I traveled to Luhansk Oblast , my car was fired at and there was an attempt to take our entire group hostage." Following the 2014 Ukrainian revolution and the resulting removal of Viktor Yanukovych from
12519-526: The voice of Paddington Bear in the Ukrainian dubbing of Paddington (2014) and Paddington 2 (2017). Zelenskyy was a member of the board and the general producer of the TV channel Inter from 2010 to 2012. Later in 2018, Zelenskyy said that then-President Yanukovych had offered him US$ 100 million for political control of Kvartal 95's programmes after he became general producer of Inter, but Zelenskyy refused. In August 2014, Zelenskyy spoke out against
12636-640: The war. Before starting elementary school, Zelenskyy lived for four years in the Mongolian city of Erdenet , where his father worked as a mining engineer from the mid-1970s to help build a copper mine, applying his abilities in computer science to mining. Zelenskyy grew up speaking Russian. At the age of 16 he passed the Test of English as a Foreign Language and received an education grant to study in Israel, but his father did not allow him to go. He later earned
12753-480: Was a Candidate for Master of Sport of the USSR . Despite good grades, he was not awarded the normal gold medal at graduation, and on his report card he was given a "C" for his behavior. After getting into a fight with four Soviet Army cadets at the military commissariat , he was sent to army service in the distant Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic . In 1989, Poroshenko graduated, having begun studying in 1982, with
12870-454: Was also present. After the inauguration ceremony Tymoshenko said about Poroshenko, "I think Ukraine has found a very powerful additional factor of stability." At the time of his inauguration, armed pro-Russian rebels , after disputed referendums , had declared the independence of the separatist Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic and controlled a large part of Donbas , but were largely considered to be illegitimate by
12987-419: Was annexed by Russia in March 2014. He also vowed to hold new parliamentary elections in 2014 . Poroshenko was inaugurated in the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) on 7 June 2014. In his inaugural address he stressed that Ukraine would not give up Crimea and stressed the unity of Ukraine. He promised an amnesty "for those who do not have blood on their hands" to the separatist and pro-Russia insurgents of
13104-427: Was born in 1985 (his three other children were born in 2000 and 2001). From 1989 to 1992, Poroshenko was an assistant at the university's international economic relations department. While still a student, he founded a legal advisory firm mediating the negotiation of contracts in foreign trade, and then he undertook the negotiations himself, starting to supply cocoa beans to the Soviet chocolate industry in 1991. At
13221-540: Was born on 26 September 1965, into an ethnic Ukrainian family in Bolhrad , a primarily Bulgarian town in Ukraine's southwestern Odesa Oblast . Poroshenko's father Oleksiy Poroshenko [ de ; uk ; ru ] (1936–2020), was an engineer and later a government official who managed multiple factories in the Ukrainian SSR . Little is known about his mother, Yevhenia Serhiyivna Hryhorchuk (1937–2004), but
13338-700: Was considered a close confidant of Yushchenko, who is the godfather of Poroshenko's daughters. Poroshenko was probably the wealthiest oligarch among Yushchenko supporters, and was often named as one of the main financial backers of Our Ukraine and the Orange Revolution . After Yushchenko won the presidential elections in 2004 , Poroshenko was appointed Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council . In September 2005, highly publicized mutual allegations of corruption erupted between Poroshenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko involving
13455-521: Was founded in 1862 by production engineer Fyodor Gregorevich Donat as a Joint Stock Company in the Russian Empire. It was mainly a mechanical plant and made different metal structures. For a short period of time (1889-1924), the plant was named "Kiev Machine-Building Plant" and in 1924, it was renamed to Leninska Kuznia . In 1928, by the Decree of Supreme Soviet Union Leninska Kuznia was made into
13572-499: Was not a populist ; however, other scholars have analysed Zelenskyy's politics in the framework of populism. For instance, political scientist Volodymyr Kulyk described Zelenskyy as practising "inclusionary" populism that claims to defend "the people" against "the elite" while defining "the people" in a way inclusive of all ethnic, linguistic, religious, and other groups. Scholar Kostiantyn Yanchenko described Zelenskyy's campaign as characterised by "populist hyperreality " constructed by
13689-475: Was widespread speculation that he was planning to run. As early as October 2018, three months before his campaign announcement and six months before the presidential election, he was already a frontrunner in opinion polls. After months of ambiguous statements, on 31 December, less than four months from the election, Zelenskyy announced his candidacy for president of Ukraine on the New Year's Eve evening show on
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