Anton Gerashchenko | |
---|---|
Антон Геращенко | |
Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs | |
In office 25 September 2019 – 4 August 2021 | |
President | Volodymyr Zelensky |
Minister | Arsen 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 10 February 1979 Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine) |
Political party |
People's Front Our Ukraine |
Other political affiliations | Independent |
Education | Kharkiv National University of Economics |
Occupation | Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine (2021–present) |
Committees | Secretary 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]
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]