- June 12, 2019
- State
- Svetlana Sazhina
The biography of Petro Alekseevich Poroshenko is full of very interesting facts and events. In his less than fifty-four years, the ex-president of Ukraine has accomplished a lot. He was a successful entrepreneur, and deputy chairman of the National Bank of Ukraine, and secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. The pinnacle of his political career was the main post of head of state, which he successfully held for five years.
Dad
The father of the future president, Alexei Ivanovich, was born in 1936 in the village of Safjani (at that time part of Bessarabia, Kingdom of Romania). Today this is the territory of the modern Izmailovsky district of the Odessa region.
In 1959, young Alexey began his working career in the town of Bolgrad. The first mention of the Poroshenko family was recorded in a revision tale - a kind of document of the Little Russian society of residents of the village of Safyany, Izmail district. In 1835, the birth of the first Poroshenko was recorded. The biography of the President of Ukraine Petro Alekseevich Poroshenko interprets this fact as the beginning of the entire further family. It is from this first entry that the genealogical history of the President of Ukraine begins.
Today the question of the real name of Petro Poroshenko is controversial. The biography, or rather, some facts from it, suggest the presence of some Jewish roots in the blood of the president’s ancestors. There is an opinion that the surname Poroshenko belongs to the mother of Petro Alekseevich. And the real name of Alexei Ivanovich’s father is Valtsman. However, everything is in order.
Biography of Petro Poroshenko's parents: interesting facts
So, the father of the future president was born in the village of Safyany on June 11, 1936. It is known that his father Ivan Evdokimovich was once a soldier of the Red Army and fought in the First and Second World Wars. This fact is confirmed by the warrior’s award sheet for military merits. If we talk about the nationality of the man, it should be noted that Jews very rarely had the names Ivan and Evdokim. Moreover, it is clearly possible to make out the name Poroshenko in the document.
However, there are other facts of the real biography of Poroshenko the father. If you believe another version, in 1956, a marriage was concluded between Alexey Ivanovich Valtsman and Evgenia Sergeevna Poroshenko, as a result of which the young husband decided to take his wife’s surname. This decision was explained quite simply: in the Soviet years, many career ladders for citizens with the so-called impartial 5th column in their passport (nationality) were prohibitive. It was believed that in the Soviet Union all citizens were equal - from the Chinese to the African. However, in reality only selected nationalities were held in high esteem. And the Jews have always been persecuted. Perhaps the habit of hiding one’s origin “just in case” was passed down to Alexei Ivanovich from his ancestors. It seemed much more profitable to be Russian, Belarusian or Ukrainian.
The further fate of the father
The family biography of Petro Poroshenko’s parents began in 1956, when a new unit of society appeared. The marriage of Alexey Ivanovich and Evgenia Sergeevna was registered at the same time. And in 1957 their eldest son, Mikhail, was born.
However, the family life of Poroshenko’s parents cannot be called cloudless. Already in 1968, the spouse was accused of possessing a bladed weapon, which turned out to be a homemade knife. The same accusation befell Alexey Ivanovich in 1979. The father of the future president was put under investigation not under his real name, but under Poroshenko. The biography of Alexey Ivanovich also contains other judicial investigations in relation to him. Thus, on July 20, 1986, the verdict of the criminal board of the Supreme Court of the Moldavian SSR was the conviction of Alexei Poroshenko to five years in prison in a general regime correctional labor colony. Additional punishment included confiscation of property and deprivation of the right to hold leadership positions for five years. The reason for this court decision was the accusation of stealing an enamel cable and purchasing 64 liters of alcohol, which was recognized as stolen. However, a year later the charge was revised and the term was reduced to two years in prison.
In addition to these “crimes,” Poroshenko’s father was also accused of making additions and receiving bonuses without reason. These episodes were also canceled over time.
Today Alexey Ivanovich is a Hero of Ukraine.
All this time, the mother of the future president worked peacefully as the chief accountant in the department of agricultural machinery in the city of Bolgrad.
The level of education
After graduating from school, Peter chose between two specialties - a diplomat and a sailor. As a result, he entered the Kiev State University named after Taras Shevchenko, and on the second attempt, he also entered MGIMO, but decided not to apply to the latter. In the capital of Ukraine, he studied at the Faculty of International Relations and Law.
His student years gave him many useful acquaintances. His friend was Mikheil Saakashvili. Poroshenko became interested in judo and freestyle wrestling and received the title of master of sports. In 1984, he was drafted into the army in his third year. After demobilization, he reinstated himself at the university and successfully graduated.
Then Peter entered graduate school and worked as an assistant at the department of international relations. In 2002, Poroshenko defended his Ph.D. thesis written on the topic “Legal regulation of the management of state corporate rights in Ukraine.”
President's childhood
Petro Poroshenko was born on September 26, 1965 in the city of Bolgrad, Odessa region. Another boy was growing up in the family, the elder brother of the future leader, Mikhail.
Since childhood, little Petya had a gentle disposition. He was always smiling, obedient and loved sweets. Having become an adult, Pyotr Alekseevich will remember his childhood affection and open the Roshen confectionery factory.
The facts of the further biography of Petro Poroshenko are as follows: when the boy was nine years old, the family was forced to move to the Transnistrian city of Bendery. Popular rumor gives different reasons for the move. The first version is that the older brother Mikhail, while studying at school, beat his fellow student half to death. To prevent their son from being put under investigation, the parents were forced to urgently leave Bolgrad. The second, official reason is the transfer of my father to another position in the city of Bendery.
One way or another, Pyotr Alekseevich had to finish school in this city. During his studies, the future president was best in foreign languages - French and English. However, young Petya mastered other school subjects without any problems.
Childhood. Adolescence. Youth
Petro Poroshenko was born on September 26, 1965 in the city of Bolgrad, in the Odessa region. Parents, Alexey Poroshenko - father, Evgenia Grigorchuk - mother, both are natives of the former Romanian provinces (Safyan and Kugurlui-Matroska), and now the territory of the Odessa region. Having entered into marriage, his mother took her husband’s surname, so Poroshenko’s real surname is Poroshenko, no matter what they write in the yellow newspapers. When the boy was 14 years old, the family moved to Bendery (Moldavian SSR). Here Peter studies regularly and receives a certificate of secondary education. In the 70s, he and his parents moved several times from one village to another.
Photo sobitiy.ru. Petro Poroshenko in Childhood and Youth.
There are many interesting facts in Poroshenko’s early biography. Thus, the future president of Ukraine took up sports at the age of 10 and achieved serious results in it, receiving the title of master of sports in judo. Also, according to Wikipedia about Poroshenko, he suffers from diabetes.
I decided to get a higher education at the Kiev State University at the Faculty of International Law, although I had wanted to enroll for a long time and even applied to the Higher Navigation School. From 1982 to 1989 studied at KSU, specialty “International Economic Relations”. In 1983 he got married, and from 1984 to 1986. served in Kazakhstan and, according to his own statements, took part in hostilities. In 1986 he returned to KSU, and in 1989 he received a diploma. From 1989 to 1992 worked as a graduate student at his native department.
Poroshenko’s height is 180 cm, his nationality is Ukrainian. Anyone who understands the politics of recent years knows how old Poroshenko is: 53 years old.
Early years
Even in the last grades of school, Petro Poroshenko (whose biography is now under special close attention) began to seriously think about his future. The choice was between the career of a diplomat and the profession of a sailor. However, thinking sensibly, young Pyotr Alekseevich gave preference to the first specialty and entered two universities at once: MGIMO and Kiev State Shevchenko University at the Faculty of International Relations and Law. While already studying at the university, the future President of Ukraine Poroshenko (biography, as a rule, does not lie) met and became friends with Mikheil Saakashvili.
At that time, students were not yet granted a deferment from military service, and in 1984 Poroshenko had to join the armed forces. The guy served in Aktyubinsk.
After serving for three years, Petro Poroshenko returned home in 1987. There he successfully re-entered the university, graduating in 1989 with a degree in international economics. Also in 1989, he entered graduate school, graduating in 1992.
Education of Petro Poroshenko
In his senior year, the young man spent a long time choosing between the career of a diplomat and the profession of a sailor. As a result, he entered two universities at once: MGIMO and Kiev State University. Shevchenko (Faculty of International Relations and Law), giving preference to the second. Interestingly, at the university he met and became friends with Mikheil Saakashvili. He was fond of freestyle wrestling and judo, earning the title of master of sports.
Poroshenko and Saakashvili have known each other since their student days
In 1984, a third-year student was forced to join the army. Petro Poroshenko served in Aktyubinsk. In 1987, he returned to civilian life, where his beloved Marina was waiting for him, and returned to the university, which he successfully graduated in 1989 with a degree in international economics. In 1989-1992, he studied in graduate school and simultaneously assisted at the department of international relations.
Army photo of Poroshenko
Closing the topic of education, we note that in 2002 he defended his PhD thesis on the topic “Legal regulation of the management of state corporate rights in Ukraine.”
Wife of Petro Alekseevich Poroshenko: brief biography
Even before serving in the army, the young man met a charming girl, three years older than him, Marina Perevedentseva. The couple met on campus, where Peter went immediately after entering the university. The guy immediately liked the pretty girl, and literally six months after their first meeting they developed a whirlwind romance. The relationship only contributed to the rise of the young man’s career. After all, the bride was the daughter of the Deputy Minister of Health of the Ukrainian SSR and an employee. The girl was a thing from the capital and lived at that time in Pechersk. This, however, did not stop the young lover, and already on his first leave, soldier Poroshenko and the beautiful Marina signed.
The ex-president's wife's specialty is a cardiologist. She practiced for a long time and even defended her Ph.D. thesis. But now Marina Poroshenko has completely devoted herself to her family. She always stands in the shadow of her eminent husband, creating a reliable rear for him.
Childhood, youth and education
Pyotr Alekseevich practiced judo and received the title of Candidate Master of Sports of the USSR. He graduated from Bendery secondary school.
In 1982, Petro Poroshenko simultaneously entered the Odessa Higher Naval School and the Kiev State University at the Faculty of International Relations and Law. In 1984, when Pyotr Alekseevich completed his 2nd year at KSU, he was drafted into the army. After serving for 2 years in the Kazakhstan SSR - Akhtubinsk, Peter returned, returning to the university for the 3rd year in 1986. He graduated from KSU in 1989, in 1992 he became a graduate student-assistant at the department of international relations.
Petro Poroshenko speaks Ukrainian, Romanian, Russian, and English perfectly.
Children of the President
Pyotr Alekseevich and Marina Anatolyevna have four children. The eldest son is named after Poroshenko’s parent Petro Alekseevich (whose biography and nationality is being clarified) Alexey. In September 2013, a twenty-eight-year-old young man married his peer Yulia Alikharova, who worked in management consulting at McKinsey & Company. Until recently, Alexey Petrovich was a people's deputy of Ukraine of the seventh convocation. For some time he was in the ATO zone under a false name. The couple has two children, and the firstborn was an inauguration gift from his grandfather. Little Petya was born on June 7, 2014. Less than two years later, on March 24, 2021, daughter Elizabeth was born.
In 2000, the future president of Ukraine gave birth to long-awaited twin girls - Alexandra and Evgenia. The girls, like their older brother, graduated from the capital's Klovsky Lyceum. At the same time, they were students at Concord College, a closed educational institution in the UK that specializes in preparing future students for prestigious English universities. After graduating from school, Sasha and Zhenya entered the University of the Arts in London and University College London, majoring in Animation and Economics. It is noteworthy that the girls chose different faculties. Far from their homeland, Alexandra and Evgeniya are ordinary students without the status of children of the President of Ukraine. In addition, parents believe that English education is somewhat higher than Ukrainian. But after graduating from university, the girls plan to return to their native land and work for the good of their homeland.
And now the twins, being away from their parents, are enjoying freedom. They, according to their fellow students, are active and creative girls and gladly participate in all student theater productions. And Evgenia even managed to star in an episode of the cult series “The Return of Mukhtar-8.” Also, together with her sister Alexandra, the girl became the heroine of the video of the famous Ukrainian singer and part-time godmother of Oksana Bilozir.
The youngest son of the Poroshenko couple is called Mikhail. The boy was born in 2001. It was named, apparently, in honor of Pyotr Alekseevich’s older brother, who died tragically in 1997. In his parents' family the guy's name is simply Mika. Despite the fact that he is the youngest, the teenager is not given any concessions.
Mikhail, like his brother and sisters, graduated from the Kiev Klovsky Lyceum, after which he went to study in England. Recently, the Ukrainian public was shocked by a photo of young Poroshenko on one of the social networks. The guy was photographed wearing a T-shirt with the inscription Russia from Bosco, a sponsor of the Russian team at the Olympics in Sochi. So the president’s son found himself at the center of a scandal. However, after a long conversation with his son, the father inspired him to see that his son attended Marina Poroshenko’s sports program wearing a T-shirt with the inscription “Ukraine” and diligently performed all the exercises that the first lady of the country demonstrated.
Businessman
While still a student, the future president of Ukraine (Poroshenko’s biography on Wikipedia states so) became interested in business. Together with his like-minded people, Pyotr Alekseevich creates the Center-Service enterprise, whose responsibilities included concluding and paying for contracts. The young student’s earnings were relatively small - only one and a half percent of the deal. But the zealous guy soon managed to use the saved money to buy a Volga car, which earned him the respect of others. Having earned money from Center-Service, he, together with his friend and classmate Sergei Zaitsev, began delivering scarce goods to the USSR. The main focus in this area was the supply of cocoa beans from Holland and Belgium to confectionery factories.
Today, the biography of Poroshenko the businessman notes many achievements. Thus, the ex-president owns many large enterprises. Among them are bus and automobile production, a glass factory, a couple of starch factories, the Leninskaya Kuznya shipyard, and an insurance company.
In addition to the above-mentioned enterprises, Poroshenko owns a number of media projects. Such companies include, in particular:
- Ukrainian Fifth Channel.
- KP Media Company.
- Magazine "Correspondent".
- Radio stations “Our Radio”, Next, “Retro FM”, “Your Radio”.
Also, from 1993 to 1998, Pyotr Alekseevich served as general director of the family business, which he organized together with his father and older brother Mikhail.
Another fact from Poroshenko’s biography indicates that in 2006 he founded a diversified company. The founder himself owns one hundred percent of the holding's shares.
According to the financial and economic publication Forbes, Petro Alekseevich Poroshenko (whose biography and nationality require further clarification) took sixth position among the richest citizens of Ukraine. His income was $1.3 billion. However, the following year this figure was halved to 750 million.
Obviously, the ex-president adopted the talent of an entrepreneur and trader from his ancestors. The biography of Petro Alekseevich Poroshenko and the nationality of his parents remains a mystery to many.
Chocolate King
Poroshenko received this unspoken nickname among his friends. The ex-president started his sweet business while still a student. It all started with the supply of Dutch and Belgian cocoa beans to Ukrainian confectionery factories, from which sweets were produced. Soon such a business brought in enough income to buy up bankrupt confectionery enterprises (among which was the state-owned factory named after Karl Marx) and merge them into the large ROSHEN corporation. It is noteworthy that the name of the enterprise was invented by Poroshenko’s wife, Marina Anatolyevna. She simply dropped the first and last syllables from her husband's last name.
Ironically, Pyotr Alekseevich, who has loved sweets since childhood, does not eat his own products. The ex-president suffers from diabetes, and, as is known, this disease prevents the consumption of sweets.
The beginning of Poroshenko's political career
The end of the 80s of the 20th century was marked by the arrival of Pyotr Alekseevich in big politics. As a member of the Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (united), he became a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada, the main legislative body of the country. Poroshenko’s political biography (Wikipedia, at least, says so) was distinguished by the career growth of the future president. He went from deputy to leader of the state.
In 2000, Pyotr Alekseevich left the ranks of the Social Democratic Party and created an independent center-left parliamentary faction, Solidarity. He was its director until 2002. At the same time, in 2001, he participated in the creation of another large political force - the Party of Regions.
Further, Poroshenko heads the campaign of Viktor Yushchenko’s opposition bloc “Our Ukraine”. After the faction's victory in the 2002 elections, the future president becomes head of the budget committee.
In 200-2004, he was a confidant of Viktor Yushchenko and Deputy Chairman of the Council of the National Bank of Ukraine.
In 2004, during the Orange Revolution, Poroshenko Petro Alekseevich (whose biography and nationality is very interesting), according to rumors, was one of the main sponsors of all rebellious events. It is not surprising that after the third president came to power, Pyotr Alekseevich took the post of secretary of the Council of Nationality and Defense of Ukraine. However, he only had the opportunity to serve in this position for a year, until the resignation of the cabinet of ministers headed by Yulia Tymoshenko.
February 2007. Petro Poroshenko is the head of the board of the National Bank of Ukraine, where he served until 2010.
October 9, 2009. The dubious nationality of Petro Poroshenko’s parents (whose biography we are studying) helped him in establishing diplomatic relations between countries as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. Pyotr Alekseevich relied on Ukraine’s accession to NATO. He held the position of minister until March 2010.
The government changed, but Poroshenko’s influence did not change. On March 23, 2012, he was appointed Minister of Economic Development and Trade by the fourth President Viktor Yanukovych. However, in connection with Poroshenko’s election to parliament in the Vinnytsia region, he was fired from his post as the country’s chief economist.
At the end of 2013, the Revolution of Dignity took place in Ukraine. Poroshenko often spoke at Euromaidan and supported the protesters. At the end of February 2014, the situation in Crimea worsened, and Pyotr Alekseevich went to Simferopol for negotiations with deputies of the Supreme Council of Crimea. However, his presence at the parliamentary meeting became impossible, and Poroshenko himself was forced to leave the peninsula with the help of police officers.
Poroshenko's political career
In 1998, Poroshenko received a deputy mandate from the United Social Democratic Party of Ukraine (SDPUo). After devoting two years to the faction, Poroshenko left, realizing that the leading positions in the party were occupied by Viktor Medvedchuk and Grigory Surkis, and not, as expected, by his supporters Leonid Kravchuk and Vasily Onopenko. After leaving the SDPU, he founded his own party, Solidarity.
In 1998, Poroshenko received a parliamentary mandate
In 2002, Petro Poroshenko became a member of the Our Ukraine faction. Subsequently, it was he who led the election campaign of Viktor Yushchenko. By the way, Poroshenko and Yushchenko are connected not only by politics, but also by strong friendship - they are godfathers. Peter took an active part in the development of the Orange Revolution, being one of its main financial guarantors. During this period, responding to Yushchenko's proposal to separate business and political activities, he transferred the formal management of Ukrprominvest to his father.
In 2005, he was secretary of the National Security Council, but left his post due to scandalous events. He and his team, namely Nikolai Martynenko, Alexander Tretyakov and David Zhvania, were accused of corruption and promoting personal interests.
In the photo: Poroshenko and the 44th President of the United States Barack Obama
In 2006, Poroshenko held a leadership position in the committee resolving issues of banking and financial activities. In 2007, he took the leading post of Chairman of the Council of the National Bank of Ukraine. In October 2009, Peter became the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, having worked in this position for a year. On March 23, 2012, President Viktor Yanukovych entrusted Poroshenko with the post of Minister of Economy and Trade of Ukraine.
Poroshenko was a Maidan supporter
Poroshenko, a supporter of Ukraine’s European integration, became an active participant in the events of the Maidan (2013-2014), helped the revolutionaries with money, interacted with Vitali Klitschko, and then sponsored the reconstruction of the Maidan after armed clashes.
As President
At the end of the Revolution of Dignity, on March 29, 2014, Poroshenko made an official statement that he intended to run for president. He received support from the world famous boxer Vitali Klitschko, who immediately withdrew his candidacy. This happened in Vienna when politicians signed cooperation agreements in the presence of businessman Dmitry Firtash and former employee of the presidential administration Sergei Levochkin.
While conducting his election campaign, Pyotr Alekseevich promised to sell off his business, keep the dollar exchange rate no higher than ten hryvnia, and end the war in Donbass in a few days. The future president's campaign slogan was “Live in a New Way.” Thanks to his promises, already in the first round Poroshenko received 54.70% support with a turnout of 59.48% of the country's residents. Thus, he won the elections and became president for five long years. The inauguration of the future head of state took place on June 7, 2014.
As president, Poroshenko pursued a policy of decommunization, signed the economic part of the Political Association Agreement with the European Union, received a visa-free regime, achieved a tomos for autocephaly of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, and much more.
However, increasing corruption, low living standards and deterioration of the social sphere forced Ukrainian citizens to re-elect Poroshenko. Today, the young artist of the humorous show “95th Quarter”, a newcomer to politics, Vladimir Aleksandrovich Zelensky, became the president of the country.
Political career
He became a deputy in 1998 from the Social Democratic Party. After 2 years he creates his own party “Solidarity”. Then he began close cooperation with Viktor Yushchenko and his Our Ukraine bloc. From 2000 to 2004, he served as Deputy Chairman of the National Bank. During the Orange Revolution of 2004, he provided serious financial support to the event, hoping to receive the post of prime minister, which eventually went to Yulia Tymoshenko.
From 2004 to 2005 was Secretary of the National Security Council. After Yushchenko dismissed the entire Cabinet of Ministers, he focused on the upcoming parliamentary elections. From 2007 to 2010, he headed the council of the National Bank. He supported the idea of Ukraine joining NATO. Since March 2012, he was appointed by President Yanukovych to the post of Minister of Economy. He again competes in parliamentary elections as a deputy and leaves the post of minister. During Euromaidan, he spoke out against the groans of the opposition and supported, according to some media reports, financially.
Presidential post
Before the early presidential elections, which were scheduled to take place on May 25, 2014, the situation in Ukraine became tense. The country's president, Viktor Yanukovych, overthrown by Euromaidan, fled to Russia, and hostilities in the east began to seriously escalate. In such a situation, with the slogan “Live in a new way”, without bribes and nepotism, Poroshenko wins the elections. Poroshenko’s rating among the people at that time was about 50%, and with approximately these figures he wins – 54.7%.
As president, he immediately began to clear parliament of deputies, most of whom were members of the party of former president Yanukovych. Parliament was dissolved and early party elections were called. He introduced a strict language policy, displacing the Russian language and emphasizing the native Ukrainian language, decentralized power, and began active decommunization (they are beginning to destroy cultural monuments of the Soviet era, banning the Communist Party). The peaceful resolution of the conflict in Donbass, promised before the presidential elections, never materialized.
Foreign policy
In 2014, the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU was signed - the country’s gradual accession to the European Union. This was the main stumbling block between the old and new authorities. The old one, represented by Viktor Yanukovych, the president of Ukraine before Poroshenko, saw the future of Ukraine in close cooperation with Russia, the new one, represented by Petro Poroshenko, was aimed at Europe. Poroshenko also promised at the end of 2014 to hold a referendum on joining NATO, but everything remained at the level of plans.
As a result, the entire foreign policy got bogged down only in the first successful steps, after which nothing followed. And today Poroshenko’s rating, against the backdrop of his victorious result in the presidential elections, is simply catastrophic - only 14%.
Relations with Russia
Relations between Putin and Poroshenko became tense immediately after Euromaidan and the conflict in Donbass. It even got to the point where Poroshenko declared an unspoken war on Russia. After Crimea ceded to Russia, a wave of mutual sanctions began (see Ukrainian sanctions against Russia). The Russian side insists on a peaceful resolution of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, while the Ukrainian side accuses Russia of supplying weapons to “terrorists.” A total and merciless war began in all spheres: media, economics, diplomacy. Ukraine, at the instigation of Poroshenko, has stopped military-technical cooperation with Russia. A list of persons prohibited from entering the country has been introduced. Russia responded by raising gas and oil prices. At the end of 2021, Poroshenko terminated the Treaty of Friendship of Nations.
These events directly had a negative impact on the Ukrainian economy. Prices for food and housing and communal services have increased significantly. Poroshenko is asking for loans from European countries, driving the country into an even deeper debt hole. This is why his presidential rating is so low today.
Autocephaly
The serious break in relations with Russia in 2018 was not without another sphere of influence – religious. Having secured the support of Constantinople and received a blessing, the new Ukrainian autocephalous church completely and completely leaves the subordination of the Moscow patriarchate.
Such a large-scale decision was not without a curiosity when, in one of his interviews, Poroshenko called autocephaly autofaecal. This even gave rise to Internet memes on the topic of “Poroshenko’s auto feces.”
Reference: Autocephaly is the status of a local church, implying its administrative independence from other local churches.
