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Nestor Ivanovych Shufrych (Ukrainian: Не́стор Іва́нович Шу́фрич, born 29 December 1966) was a Ukrainian politician who has served in the Verkhovna Rada since 1998. Since 2017, Shufrych has been in the pro-RussianEurosceptic political party Opposition Platform — For Life, which was outlawed in 2022 following the launch of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[1] During the invasion, Shufrych was arrested in September 2023 under suspicion of treason.
Shufrych graduated from the Uzhhorod National University in 1992 with a diploma in history. In 2004, he wrote a thesis ""Development and Transformation of agrarian industry in Hungary" earning him an academical honors of a Candidate of Economical Sciences from the Institute of Agrarian Economics (Ukrainian Agrarian Academy of Sciences).
In 1985–87 Shufrych served in the Soviet military, afterwards he became an interpreter for a trade-revenue company in Uzhhorod. In 1989 Shufrych became an adviser of cooperative union "Retro" and commercial director of the Soviet-Austrian company "Tekop". Since 1991 Shufrych worked as a director for the Ukrainian-American company "West-Contrade", becoming its president in 1995.
In 1998, Shufrych was elected from the 70th electoral district in Zakarpattia Oblast from SDPU(o), the 22nd on the party list. He gathered 16.8% out of 12 candidates with 70.8% of voting in the district. At the time of elections Shufrych was a director of "West-Contrade".
1998 – 2000 Parliamentary committee on economic policy, management of public economics, property, and investments
In 2002, Shufrych unsuccessfully ran as member of SDPU(o), finishing third out 20 candidates and gathering 9.2% of the vote. He was, however, elected to the Zakarpattia Oblast Council. In three months he successfully ran in the 201st electoral district in Cherkasy Oblast as a self-nominated candidate. Shufrych gathered 29.8% out of 18 other candidates. At the time of elections he was a president of the "Cherkasy meat company" and a member of SDPU(o).
In 2007, Shufrych ran by a party list from the Party of Regions, being listed the 5th for the 2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election. The party won the elections, earning 34.4% nationwide with 3% parliamentary threshold.
Shufrych was present at negotiations on 21 June 2014 to discuss President Petro Poroshenko's peace plan, although it was unclear who he represented there. Shufrych himself claimed the government had appealed to him to contribute to the mediation of Viktor Medvedchuk.[7][8][9]
On 30 September 2014, Shufrych was beaten and injured by a mob in Odesa.[10]
On 18 February 2022 (a week before the Russian invasion of Ukraine began), during a panel show, Shufrych was physically assaulted and put into a headlock by journalist Yuriy Butusov [uk] after he refused to condemn Vladimir Putin's actions in the Donbas and Crimea.[15] This brawl was on live television and was broadcast internationally.
From March to June 2022 during the initial months of the invasion, Shufrych's affiliated political party would be suspended, dissolved, and banned by Ukrainian government bodies, stemming from allegations of the OPZZh having ties to Russia.[16][17][18]
On 15 September 2023, Shufrych was arrested by the Security Service of Ukraine under charges for treason, facing 15 years in prison. The SBU alleged that Shufrych was working with Russian intelligence to spread pro-Kremlin narratives in Ukraine, such as disinformation that Ukraine is an artificial entity or that Russians and Ukrainians are a single nation.[19] Several objects of outlawed Soviet and Russian paraphernalia (including military uniforms, medals, swords, and the ribbon of Saint George) were found during a search of Shufrych's residence.[20]
Personal life
Shufrych's paternal ancestors were ethnic Serbs.[2][3][4]
