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Olga Kovitidi | |
|---|---|
Ольга Ковитиди | |
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| Russian Federation Senator fromCrimea | |
| In office 15 April 2014 – 12 September 2024 Serving with Sergei Tsekov | |
| Preceded by | Seat established |
| Succeeded by | Yury Nimchenko |
| Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Crimeaα | |
| In office 27 February 2014 – 26 March 2014 | |
| Member of theCrimean Supreme Council | |
| In office 26 March 2006 – 17 March 2014 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Olha Fedorivna Kovditidi (1962-05-07)7 May 1962 (age 63)[1] |
| Political party | United Russia (since 2014) Party of Regions (2010 to 2014) |
Olga Fyodorovna Kovitidi (Ukrainian: Ольга Федорівна Ковітіді; Russian: Ольга Фёдоровна Ковитиди; born on 7 May 1962), is a Russian and former Ukrainian politician, who currently serves asRussian Federation Senator fromCrimea since 2014.[2] Kovitidi was previously a member of theVerkhovna Rada of Crimea from 2006 until 2014, when it was dissolved amidst the generally internationally unrecognisedRussian annexation of Crimea, which she supported.[3] During her tenure in the Rada, she briefly served as her peninsula's Deputy Prime Minister in 2014.
A longtimepro-Russian politician, she has generated controversy for expressinganti-Ukrainian sentiment on TV.[4]
Kovitidi was born on 7 May 1962 inSimferopol. She was educated as Candidate in Law.
Kovitidi taught law as an assistant professor. She went on to become Chair of the Union of Lawyers of the Crimea and Deputy Chair of the Union of Lawyers ofUkraine. She was a member of the World Association of Lawyers, the World Congress of Lawyers of Ukrainian origin and the Council of the World Greek Interparliamentary Union.
In 2010, she joined the then-ruling party of Ukraine, theParty of Regions, which was the mainpro-Russian party in the country.[5]
From 2013 to 2014, she was an assistant to theMinister of Justice of Ukraine.
In early 2014, she became the Deputy Prime Minister of theAutonomous Republic of Crimea. Along with most other members of the state legislature, she refused to recognise the new government that came to power after the2014 Ukrainian Revolution, and instead backedCrimea's incorporation into Russia. The move was condemned by theUnited Nations and she was placed on the sanctions list of theUnited Kingdom[6] and theEuropean Union, as well as the wanted list of Ukraine for what it considered to be high treason.[7]
On 26 March 2014, the State Council of the Republic of Crimea nominated Kovitidi to represent Crimea at theFederation Council.[8][9] She was confirmed on 15 April 2014.
As a Senator, she serves on the Committee on Defense and Security.
In February 2015, at the winter session held on February 18–20 inVienna, theOSCE Parliamentary Assembly refused to recognise the credentials of Kovitidi as a member of the Russian delegation. She was initially included in its composition as “the first member of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation from the executive power of the Republic of Crimea”. The decision to not recognise her was made on 18 February at a meeting of the Credentials Committee,[10][11][12] because "a parliamentarian nominated to work in the PA must represent the country that makes the presentation - and not the authority that was established on foreign soil by methods that most OSCE countries recognise as illegal."[13][11]
In 2021, she was accused ofUkrainophobia after stating: "I remembered whatAlexander Zakharchenko said now. When we discussed everything that is happening now inDonbas, he said: "You know, we have never seen such atrocities. They are inhumans." And he gave an example of the fact that there are many such cases, which are just scary to talk about today. An eight-year-old girl was raped and foam concrete was poured into her vagina. There were cases when four girls, literally from 18 to 25 years old, had "Separatist's godfather", "Separatist's wife", "Separatist's daughter" cut out on their foreheads. With their breasts cut, they were put back to back, tied with wire and sent to their relatives." Her statement was aired live on the Russian program "Time will tell" on Channel One.
Media related toOlga Kovitidi at Wikimedia Commons
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