Iryna Vereshchuk | |
|---|---|
Ірина Верещук | |
 Portrait, 2021 | |
| Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Minister of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories | |
| In office 4 November 2021 – 8 September 2024 | |
| President | Volodymyr Zelenskyy |
| Prime Minister | Denys Shmyhal |
| Preceded by | Oleksii Reznikov |
| People's Deputy of Ukraine | |
| In office 29 August 2019 – 4 November 2021 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1979-11-30)30 November 1979 (age 45) Rava-Russkaya,Ukrainian SSR,Soviet Union |
| Political party | Servant of the People |
| Education | Lviv Polytechnic |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Ukraine |
| Branch/service |  Ukrainian Ground Forces |
| Years of service | 1997–2002 |
| Rank | Senior lieutenant |
Iryna Andriivna Vereshchuk (Ukrainian:Ірина Андріївна Верещук,IPA:[iˈrɪ.nɐɐnˈdrʲi.jiu̯nɐʋe.reˈʃtʃuk]; born 30 November 1979) is a Ukrainian social activist, politician, and formerPeople's Deputy of Ukraine of the9th convocation.[1] On 4 November 2021, Vereshchuk was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine andMinister of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories. On 8 September 2024 she was appointed deputy head ofOffice of the President of Ukraine subjugated toAndriy Yermak.[2]
Vereshchuk was born on 30 November 1979[3] in Rava-Ruska, Nesterovskyi (laterZhovkva) Raion,Lviv Oblast. In 1997 she finished Rava-Ruska secondary school with honour (Gold Medal). From 1997 to 2002, she studied at the Military Institute atLviv Polytechnic,[4] which she graduated from with a speciality of "International Information". From 2002 to 2006, she studied at the Law Faculty of theUniversity of Lviv,[4] where she majored in law. From 2008 to 2010, Vereshchuk studied at Lviv Region Institute of State Administration of theNational Academy for Public Administration under the President of Ukraine.[5] In accordance with her academic results, in summer of 2009 she underwent an internship at the Cabinet Office of Ukraine, and then was added to the employee pool of Ukraine's Cabinet. In 2011, she became a postgraduate student at the Lviv Region Institute of State Administration of the National Academy for Public Administration under the President of Ukraine. On 11 November 2015, she defended a thesis on the topic: "Organizational and Legal Mechanism for Improving the Administrative and Territorial Structure of Ukraine" (using reforms conducted by Poland as an example) and received a degree of Candidate of Science in State Management.[4]
After graduating from Military School, Vereshchuk served as an officer in theUkrainian Army for five years.[4] From May 2007 to June 2008, she worked as a lawyer at Rava-Ruska City Council.
From June to October 2010, she was deputy head of Zhovkva Region[6] State Administration on humanitarian issues and foreign policy.
She was elected mayor of Rava-Ruska on 30 October 2010.[4] At the time she was the youngest female mayor in Ukraine.[4] She governed the city for five years.[4]
Vereshchuk was a candidate in the2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election. As an independent candidate she gained 4.46% of the votes (6th place) inUkraine's 122nd electoral district (centred inYavoriv) and lost the election toVolodymyr Parasyuk (who won with 56.56% of the votes).[3][7]
On 17 February 2015, she left her post as mayor of Rava-Ruska due to what she called constant pressure from "pseudopatriots".[8]
During 2015 and 2016, Vereshchuk studied inPoland under theKirkland program, she researched Poland's experience ofdecentralization.[4]
In April 2016, Vereshchuk became President of the International Center for Baltic and Black Sea Studies and Consensus Practices.[4] She headed it until 2019.[4]
Since September 2017, she is a PhD (docent) of the Department of Political Sciences of theNational Pedagogical Drahomanov University.
In 2019, Vereshchuk was elected aPeople's Deputy of Ukraine[3] in the2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election[9] forServant of the People as number 29 on its election list.[3][10] In parliament she became Chairperson of the Sub-committee on National Security and Defense of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence. From 4 September to 15 November 2019, she was a representative of the government at the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament). She relinquished these duties in November 2019.[4][11]
Vereshchuk was the candidate of Servant of the People for the post ofMayor of Kyiv in the2020 Kyiv local election set for 25 October 2020.[12][13] The Kyiv City Territorial Election Commission announced on 6 November that in the election she had received 39,321 votes, securing fifth place and losing the election to incumbent mayorKlitschko who was re-elected in the first round of the election with 50.52% of the votes, 365,161 people had voted for him.[14]
On 4 November 2021, Vereshchuk was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister for Reintegration of Temporary Occupied Territories in theShmyhal Government.[15]
On 8 September 2024 Vereshchuk was appointed deputy head ofOffice of the President of Ukraine, the government office lead byAndriy Yermak.[2]
In 2013, before theRevolution of Dignity, Vereshchuk stated that she wished Ukraine had aPresident akin toVladimir Putin, thePresident of Russia.[16] She claimed she would vote for him because "He does good for Russia. He is acting in the interests of his country."[16]
In 2018 Vereshchuk spoke out against the lionizing ofUkrainian nationalist idolStepan Bandera by "manipulative politicians who wearembroidered shirts."[16] She claimed that "it should be understood that this historical figure will never find a place in the Ukrainian pantheon of heroes."[16]
Prior to becoming the candidate ofServant of the People for the post ofMayor of Kyiv in the2020 Kyiv local election Vereshchuk stated that then incumbent mayorVitaly Klichko was "a good mayor."[16] After her nomination, she insinuated that Klichko should "have better understood both the people and their troubles."[16]
In June 2022 about the receipt ofRussian passports by Ukrainians:
«Every receipt of a passport of the state-aggressor by a Ukrainian should be considered as a crime, no matter the motive. We should inform citizens who now live under temporary occupation. I realize this is harsh, but this is the matter of existence of the Ukrainian state.».[17]
On 3 September 2022 about Ukrainians in occupied territories taking part in a possible referendum about joining Russia:
«For our citizens who will take part in this: it's an article of the Penal Code, actually. They are on a possibility of a crime penalty. If an act of a collaboration or taking part in a referendum or even agitation for it will be proved, punishment for this people could be up to 12 years of jail with confiscation.».[18]
Vereshchuk is married, having previously been married, and has a son and a stepson.[19][16]
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