Anton Gerashchenko

Anton Gerashchenko
Антон Геращенко
Gerashchenko in 2022
Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs
In office
25 September 2019 – 4 August 2021
PresidentVolodymyr Zelensky
MinisterArsen Avakov (2019–2021), Denys Monastyrsky (2021)
People's Deputy of Ukraine
In office
27 November 2014 – 28 August 2019
Personal details
Born
Anton Yuriyovych Gerashchenko

(1979-02-10) 10 February 1979 (age 45)
Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
(now Ukraine)
Political partyPeople's Front
Our Ukraine
Other political
affiliations		Independent
EducationKharkiv National University of Economics
OccupationAdvisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (2021–present)
CommitteesSecretary of the Ukrainian Parliament Committee on Legislative Support of Law Enforcement (2014–2019)

Anton Yuriyovych Gerashchenko (Ukrainian: Антон Юрійович Геращенко, romanized: Anton Yuriyovych Herashchenko, born 10 February 1979) is a current official advisor and a former deputy minister at the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs.[1][2][3][4] He is a former member of the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada) from 2014 to 2019,[3][5] and was the subject of an assassination attempt in part because of his actions, which was prevented by the SBU.[6]

Biography

When Arsen Avakov became the Minister of Internal Affairs in 2014, Gerashchenko became his adviser.[3] In this role, Gerashchenko briefed journalists about the formation of the Donbas Battalion,[7] the Azov Battalion,[8] and the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.[9][10]

Gerashchenko was elected to parliament in the 26 October 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, representing the People's Front in the multi-mandate nationwide district, he was placed 21st (as an independent candidate) on the party's election list.[11][5] Gerashchenko was one of the founders of a database of separatists called "Myrotvorets" (Peacekeeper).[12]

He was secretary of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's national parliament) Committee on Legislative Support of Law Enforcement.[5] In parliament, one of his assistant-consultants was the future Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky.[13]

In January 2017, it was announced that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) had prevented an assassination attempt against Gerashchenko.[6] The SBU had had the two assassins under surveillance for over a month and arrested them in the act with an explosive device in their possession.

The SBU stated that the assassins had been in prison in the Russian-occupied Crimea, until they agreed to assassinate Gerashchenko. The SBU claimed that the assassins were coordinated by Andrey Tikhonov. Tikhonov currently lives in Belgorod in Russia, and used to be a Ukrainian citizen, who had fought against Ukraine on the side of the Luhansk People's Republic.[6]

After the July 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Gerashchenko did not return to parliament because he did not take part in the election.[11][3] On 25 September 2019, the Cabinet of Ministers appointed him one of six or seven deputy ministers at the Ministry of Internal Affairs.[3][4] The minister was Arsen Avakov.[3]

After Avakov stepped down as Interior Minister on 15 July 2021, Gerashchenko became an official advisor for the new minister, Denys Monastyrsky.[2] On 4 August 2021, he was dismissed as deputy minister.[1] In late September 2021, Gerashchenko was appointed the coordinator of the new "Office for Business Protection"[nb 1] within the Ministry of Internal Affairs.[14]

Notes

  1. ^ This bureau was established to improve communications between entrepreneurs and the security forces.[14]

References

  1. ^ a b (in Ukrainian) The Cabinet of Ministers fired Gerashchenko from the post of Deputy Interior Minister, Ukrayinska Pravda (4 August 2021)
  2. ^ a b (in Ukrainian) Gerashchenko continues to work in the Ministry of Internal Affairs with Monastyrsky, Ukrayinska Pravda (30 August 2021)
    Parliament appoints Monastyrsky as Ukraine's interior minister, Ukrinform (16 July 2021)
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Екснардеп Геращенко став заступником Авакова" [Former People's Deputy of Ukraine Gerashchenko becomes Avakov's deputy], Interfax-Ukraine, 25 September 2019, retrieved 31 March 2020
  4. ^ a b "Ukraine's Cabinet appoints new police chief – MP", UNIAN, 25 September 2019
  5. ^ a b c "People's Deputies of Ukraine", Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine official web portal, 22 July 2018, archived from the original on 5 February 2015, retrieved 22 July 2018
  6. ^ a b c "Media: SBU prevented a murder attempt on MP Anton Gerashchenko", UAWire, 22 January 2017
  7. ^ "Anton Gerashchenko: on the basis of "Donbas" troop another battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine has been created", Ukraine Crisis Media Center, 29 May 2014
  8. ^ "Reinforcements for the Azov Battalion". euromaidanpress.com. 24 June 2014.
  9. ^ "MH17: the evidence against Russia", The Observer, 20 July 2014
  10. ^ "Rebels take out "Buk" missile system to Russia, "black boxes" to be passed to FSB – Gerashchenko", UNIAN, 18 July 2014
  11. ^ a b "Електоральна пам'ять" [Electoral memory]. ukr.vote. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
  12. ^ "The right to freedom of speech and opinion in Ukraine: threats and opportunities" (PDF). osce.org. 11 September 2018.
  13. ^ (in Ukrainian) Electoral history and small biography of Denys Monastyrsky, Civil movement "Chesno"
  14. ^ a b (in Ukrainian) The Ministry of Internal Affairs will create a Business Office, which will be coordinated by Gerashchenko, Ukrayinska Pravda (29 September 2021)