"Fat Man" from KVN has known Zelensky since the 90s. What is known about the new Rada Speaker, Ruslan Stefanchuk?
Following the resignation of Verkhovna Rada Speaker Dmytro Razumkov, Ruslan Stefanchuk, his former first deputy, was elected to this position. "The country" I already told you what Ruslan Stefanchuk is famous for.
Now we will tell you about some facts from his biography that he does not advertise very much.
It's worth noting right away that the new speaker's biography is similar to that of his younger brother, Mykola. In 2019, Mykola also became a member of parliament from the Servant of the People party. The Stefanchuk brothers are well-known in the legal community.
Nikolai and Ruslan Stefanchuk. Source: facebook.com
The younger one obeyed the older one
Both brothers are lawyers, PhDs, and both worked for long periods as law professors. Before Zelenskyy came to power, both worked at the state-owned National Office of Intellectual Property.
Moreover, the current speaker, Ruslan Stefanchuk, worked in the office as deputy director. His brother, Nikolai, was also the head of the legal department there. However, Article 27 of the Anti-Corruption Law expressly prohibits working as a direct subordinate to close relatives in government agencies.
When President Zelenskyy appointed Ruslan Stefanchuk as his advisor in May 2019, his brother immediately took over the vacant deputy director position. He held that position until August 2019, when he filed a declaration of resignation after being elected as a member of parliament.
Mykola Stefanchuk, the younger brother of Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk. Source: facebook.com
The result is an interesting picture. Not only did the new speaker of parliament work at the same government agency as his younger brother, but he also effectively handed over the position to his brother immediately after his appointment as Zelenskyy's advisor in May 2019.
A buffet for 600 people in Geneva with a folk ensemble
The National Office of Intellectual Property, where the Stefanchuk brothers worked, was short-lived. It was created in 2018 by the Ministry of Economy, where Ruslan Stefanchuk was an advisor to Minister Stepan Kubiv. In December 2019, the new Minister of Economy, Tymofiy Mylovanov, liquidated the organization.
In just over a year, the agency where the new speaker worked with his brother managed to spend a significant amount of public money. The National Office's most expensive project was participation in the 59th Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva. Almost 6 million hryvnias from the state budget were spent on the event.
The tender was announced on May 22, 2019, three days after Ruslan Stefanchuk began working as Zelenskyy's advisor. It's likely he participated in preparing the tender documentation. And his brother, the head of the legal department, was certainly involved in the tender process.
The National Office signed the contract with the contractor, Ant Hill, on August 13, 2019, when the brother of the current Rada speaker was already working there as deputy director.
The program for the Geneva assembly was simply spectacular. According to Appendix No. 1 of the agreement, the National Office ordered a buffet for 600 people in Geneva. A performance by an instrumental ensemble was also planned. Moreover, the musicians and cooks had to be transported from Kyiv to Geneva and back.
Source: prozorro.gov.ua
According to the technical specifications, the reception in Geneva took place on October 3. A celebratory concert was held simultaneously:
Source: prozorro.gov.ua
A musical group of 25-30 people, complete with costumes and instruments, was scheduled to travel from Kyiv to Geneva and back. The instruments included a brass section, a bandura section, a cymbal section, and so on. The musicians were scheduled to perform in Geneva on October 3rd from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. This meant the concert was scheduled to last only three hours.
Source: prozorro.gov.ua
The buffet began at the same time. The dishes were scheduled to be ready by 18:00 PM. The buffet menu included vegetarian, kosher, and Muslim dishes:
Source: prozorro.gov.ua
The assembly participants were also to be given 600 souvenirs: an eco-notebook, an eco-pen, an eco-pencil, and an eco-bag. An A5 booklet entitled "Ukraine You Didn't Know" was also included:
Source: prozorro.gov.ua
Regarding the event's main theme—protecting intellectual property—six chipboard stands measuring 60 x 60 x 80 cm were fabricated. The stands were branded using Oracal film. The stands were to house exhibits from up to six Ukrainian startups. Two videos—one three and one minute long—were also required to be produced.
Source: prozorro.gov.ua
As a reminder, the entire project cost almost 6 million hryvnias. Services were rendered in full, as confirmed by signed documents from both parties. The rendering of services was also confirmed by a ruling from the Kyiv Commercial Court:
Source: reyestr.court.gov.ua
The role of the Stefanchuk brothers in this "attraction of unprecedented generosity" remains anyone's guess. They didn't sign the contract. But, at the very least, given their positions (deputy director and head of the legal department), they simply couldn't have been unaware of the senseless wastefulness in Geneva at the expense of Ukrainian taxpayers.
Six chipboard cabinets and two videos are nothing compared to the labor required to host a reception and concert for 600 people. Therefore, the main events of the Geneva Assembly were, after all, the reception and the concert.
We are used to working together
The Stefanchuk brothers are originally from Khmelnytskyi. The new Rada Speaker, Ruslan Stefanchuk, was born in 1975, his brother Mykola in 1981. Their father, Oleksiy Stefanchuk, is a well-known physician in Khmelnytskyi and the region's chief traumatologist. Both brothers chose legal professions.
The Stefanchuk brothers and their wives are professors of law at leading universities in the country and hold Doctors of Law degrees. In 2016-2017, the brothers simultaneously submitted their candidacies for judgeships at the High Corruption Court and the Supreme Court. And in 2018-2019, they worked together at the National Intellectual Property Office.
Prior to this, Ruslan Stefanchuk was Vice Rector for Research at the National Academy of Prosecutor's Office. At the same time, his wife, Maryna Stefanchuk, according to her official biography, worked there as a professor and defended her doctorate. She is now a professor in the Law Faculty at the Hetman Kyiv National University of Economics:
Source: kneu.edu.ua
The new Rada Speaker's younger brother also taught law at Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, and Chernivtsi universities, the Border Service Academy, and, since 2016, at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. He is now also a professor at the Law Faculty of the Hetman Kyiv National University of Economics:
Source: kneu.edu.ua
The new speaker's brother's wife, Oksana Muzyka-Stefanchuk, and her husband also taught at the Border Service Academy, Ternopil, and Chernivtsi universities. She is currently the head of the Department of Financial Law at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, a doctor of law, and a professor. Danylo Hetmantsev, a Servant of the People MP and the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Tax Policy, is also a professor at the same department:
Source: law.knu.ua
In turn, MP Daniil Getmantsev lists Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk's wife, Marina, as his assistant:
Source: www.rada.gov.ua
As we can see, the "Stefanchuk clan" sticks together everywhere: the brothers and their wives worked at the same universities. They also co-founded the same companies. At the National Intellectual Property Office, the new Rada speaker served as deputy director, while his brother was also head of the legal department. This practice can only be described as nepotism and the "one hand washes the other" principle.
I met Zelensky on KVN.
The Stefanchuk family's current fate was radically influenced by their long-standing acquaintance with Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ruslan Stefanchuk began communicating with Zelenskyy in 1996 through their participation in KVN.
Ruslan Stefanchuk was one of the living icons of the KVN team "Three Fat Men" from Khmelnytskyi. The team's greatest achievements were participation in the KVN Major League in 2001, where they reached the round of 16, and in the Premier League in 2003.
The KVN team "Three Fat Men" performing in Donetsk in 1998. Source: facebook.com / 3Tolstyaka
In 1999, the Open Ukrainian KVN League was established. In the first game, the "Three Fat Men" reached the finals, where they faced "95 Kvartal," led by the 1997 KVN Major League champion and future president, Volodymyr Zelensky. The "Three Fat Men" defeated "Kvartal" and became the first champions of the Open Ukrainian League.
Participants of the Ukrainian KVN Open League, 1999. Highlighted in the photo (from left to right): Zelensky's future wife, Elena; Volodymyr Zelensky; and future speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk. Source: facebook.com
He helped Yushchenko's associates
The new speaker entered politics in 2006. He ran for the Khmelnytskyi City Council on the Sobor party list. In 2007, Ruslan Stefanchuk became an assistant to Sobor party leader Anatoliy Matviyenko. Matviyenko was elected to the Rada as a member of Viktor Yushchenko's Our Ukraine – People's Self-Defense party.
From 2016 to 2019, Ruslan Stefanchuk served as an advisor to Minister of Economic Development Stepan Kubiv. He is also one of Yushchenko's allies and was actively involved in the second Maidan protests of 2013–2014, where he served as the "commandant of Euromaidan."
On February 24, 2014, Stepan Kubiv became the head of the National Bank. During his tenure, the hryvnia devalued from 9 to 12 UAH/USD. He then became a member of parliament on the Poroshenko Bloc list, and since 2016, he has served as the Minister of Economic Development in the government. Groysman.
Exactly Stepan Kubiv In 2018, he issued an order establishing the National Office of Intellectual Property. Both the current Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada and his younger brother found comfortable employment there during the transitional period.
In topic: $100,000 for the Speaker's Head: How Zelenskyy is Gathering Votes for Razumkov's Resignation
Five billion for the holiday. Why were Independence Day celebration tenders kept secret?
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