Ruslan Koshulynskyi | |
|---|---|
Руслан Кошулинський | |
 Koshulynskyi in 2014 | |
| Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada | |
| In office 13 December 2012 – 27 November 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Mykola Tomenko |
| Succeeded by | Oksana Syroyid |
| People's Deputy of Ukraine | |
| 7th convocation | |
| In office 12 December 2012 – 27 November 2014 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ruslan Volodymyrovych Koshulynskyi (1969-09-09)9 September 1969 (age 56) |
| Political party | Svoboda |
| Alma mater | West Ukrainian National University |
Ruslan Volodymyrovych Koshulynskyi (Ukrainian:Руслан Володимирович Кошулинський; born 9 September 1969) is a Ukrainian politician, nationalist, soldier, and formerPeople's Deputy of Ukraine who served as the 9th Deputy Speaker of theVerkhovna Rada (2012–2014). He is also the Deputy Leader ofSvoboda party.
Koshulynskyi was born inLviv to Victor Kosulynskyi and Natalia Koshulynska (née Etkind). He attended the Lviv Sports Boarding School, graduating in 1986. In 1987, he was conscripted to theSoviet Army and served inEast Germany for two years. After the army service, he enrolled to the Lviv Cooperative College of Economics and Law, which he completed in 1991. He then moved to theKolomyia region, where he found work as production manager in a local restaurant. In 1995, he travelled toKrasnoyarsk Krai to work at a gold mining company for a year. Upon his return to Lviv in 1996, he became involved in politics and joined theSvoboda party. In the early 2000s, he took up post-secondary studies again at theTernopil National Economic University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in law in 2006.
In August 2008, Koshulynsky was appointed the deputy head of theSvoboda an ultranationalist political party in Ukraine. In November 2010 he became the leader of the Svoboda party caucus at theLviv City Council, as well as the member of the Council's standing committee on finance and budgetary planning.
He was Svoboda's campaign manager during its national breakthrough at the2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election. TheParliament elected him the Deputy Speaker by absolute majority of the vote.[1][2] During his time in office he co-chaired the Poland-Ukraine interparliamentary group.[3] Koshulynsky actively supported the2013-2014 demonstrations against the regime of presidentViktor Yanukovych and was one of a handful of parliamentary opposition members who remained with the protesters during the police gunfire in February 2014. In March 2014 he stated that the decision to holdCrimea referendum was unconstitutional, citing the absence of Ukrainian legislative framework on local referendums.[4]
In Ukraine's2014 snap parliamentary election Koshulynskyi ran 2nd on the party list, but the party ended up 0.29% short of theminimum required 5% national vote.[5][6]
On 25 October 2015 he unsuccessfully ran for Lviv city mayor, losing in the second round to the incumbentAndriy Sadovyi with 36.8% of the vote.[7]
He was elected as member of theLviv Oblast Council in the2015 election.
He believes that Ukraine's government can finance the armed forces by levying increased war tax on the oligarchs.[8]
On 19 November 2018 Svoboda and fellowUkrainian nationalist political organizationsOrganization of Ukrainian Nationalists,Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists,Right Sector andC14 endorsed Koshulynskyi candidacy in the2019 Ukrainian presidential election.[9] In the election he received 1.6% of the votes.[10]
In the2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election Koshulynskyi was placed fifth on the joined list of Svoboda withNational Corps, theGovernmental Initiative of Yarosh andRight Sector.[11] But in the election they won 2.15% of the votes, less than half if the 5% election threshold, and thus no parliamentary seats via the national party list.[12]
In the 28 March 2021by-election for constituency 87 (located inIvano-Frankivsk Oblast) Koshulynskyi was a candidate for Svoboda.[13] On 16 MarchEuropean Solidarity candidateMarusya Zvirobiy [uk] withdrew her candidacy in favor of Koshulynskyi.[14] On 22 April 2021 theCentral Election Commission of Ukraine (CEC) officially declaredServant of the People candidateVasyl Virastyuk the winner of this election with 31.25%.[15]Olexandr Shevchenko officially received 749 votes less (gaining 29.69% of vote) and Koshulynskyi came third with 28.86% of the vote.[16][15] Shevchenko appealed this decision and on 2 May 2021 theSupreme Court of Ukraine revoked the April 22 CEC decision claiming the CEC had not ensured the verification of all violations committed during the election.[15] On 19 May 2021 the CEC drew up a new protocol on the results of the election; This time they declared the results of 6 polling stations invalid.[17] According to this document Virastyuk had gained 14,811 votes, Shevchenko 13,942 and Koshulynskyi 13,463.[17] On 23 May 2021 the Supreme Court annulled this protocol too after an appeal by Shevchenko.[18] The Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court annulled this decision on 5 June 2021 and ten days later Virastyuk took the oath ofPeople's Deputy of Ukraine.[19][20]
During Ukraine's 2015 mobilization effort Koshulynskyi joined theartillery troops of theUkrainian Ground Forces as Gun Commander.[21] After undergoing training at the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre inYavoriv, he was deployed to thewar zone in the Luhansk region of east Ukraine. Koshulynskyi served as Senior Sergeant during his combat duty.
Koshulynskyi is married to Mariia Koshulynska, with whom he has three children.
By the agreement of the three opposition parties, the Svoboda deputy Ruslan Koshulinsky was proposed for the post of deputy parliamentary speaker, and elected with the approval of 305 deputies.