Irina Friz: The Difficult Path of the ROSHEN Cherry. Part 1
Today, Irina Friz is the permanent press secretary Petro Poroshenko, not even yet the President, a BPP deputy, the most talked-about politician. A former merchandiser, antique shop consultant, and art historian, all rolled into one, has managed to break into big-time politics. Now, by order of the President, a separate ministry has been created for her, and all doors are opening.
Friz has been embroiled in various scandals – due to her warm relationship with Petro Poroshenko, the laws she lobbied for on orders, and even racy photos.
Irina Friz's life is reminiscent of the story of Cinderella, only this time retold for adults.
Newcomers to the Cabinet of Ministers
At the end of November 2018, the Prime Minister Vladimir Groysman He decided to diversify the parliament and added female representatives to his subordinates. And two unexpected appointments followed! The first was Oksana Markarova, who had previously held the acting position, as Minister of Finance, and the second was Iryna Friz, a BPP MP, who was appointed Minister of Veterans' Affairs. 270 members of parliament voted in favor of the latter's appointment.
Does such a ministry exist? Good question! It doesn't exist yet, but Groysman proposed creating one. A Ministry for Veterans Affairs was established in Ukraine in just seven days!!! ATO veterans were promised that the structure would be fully operational by June 2019.
Experts unanimously agreed that Makarova's appointment was beneficial to both sides: the prime minister gained a loyal finance minister (crucial in the current situation), and the president gained an additional voice in the government. But Friz's appointment, to put it mildly, was a shock.
So, let's figure out why Petro Poroshenko and his party decided to promote her to minister and who the Guarantor's protégé is actually working for. Finally Skelet.Org will definitely answer this question.
All roads lead to Kyiv
Irina Vasilievna Friz was born on September 25, 1974, in Yevpatoriya, Crimea. She graduated with honors from the Faculty of Art Theory and History at the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture. By profession, Friz is an art historian and critic.
After graduating in 1998, the young graduate found a job at the Rapana cooperative as a merchandiser. She worked there for eight years, until 1996. During this time, she essentially sold stonewashed jeans made in the basements on Malaya Arnautskaya Street, passing them off as Turkish.
Irina Vasilyevna then found a job at the Amida-2 antiques store as a consultant, examining antique samovars and appraising stolen paintings. She quickly rose through the ranks, becoming the director of the private enterprise.
Soon, Friz radically changed her focus. From 1997 to 2001, she served as an art critic of contemporary Christian art at the Crimean Republican Foundation "Art in the Name of Christ."
It's no secret that all roads from small towns lead to Kyiv. We're sure Irina Friz agrees. In 2001, she moved from Yevpatoriya to Kyiv and joined the Ukrainian Association of Importers and Exporters, where she worked as a public relations specialist.
A year later, Friz had already become deputy director at the Information Service company. Incidentally, during this time, she received a second degree from the National Academy of Fine Arts and Architecture, graduating with honors. After this, our heroine's career took off.
Meeting Peter
Irina Vasilievna entered big politics relatively late – at 30 years old, but her career path was more than favorable.
In 2003, Friz worked as a volunteer assistant to Verkhovna Rada deputy Petro Poroshenko. Although many sources Skelet.Org They say sparks flew between the future president and his newly appointed aide. And the relationship that Poroshenko and Friz have had and still have isn't exactly a work relationship... Poroshenko, of course, never spoke about it. He's a devoted family man, so he always quelled any talk about it.
Irina Friz: The Difficult Path of the ROSHEN Cherry. Part 1
Iryna Vasylivna worked diligently for two years, completely unpaid, and finally received a long-awaited promotion—to the position of assistant to the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, and soon afterward, to the position of head of the press sector of the Service of the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine. By coincidence, Petro Oleksiyovych was the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council at the time.
In 2008, Friz became interested in banking. She spent five years as a leading specialist at the National Bank of Ukraine. Once again, the timing was perfect: Poroshenko was serving on the NBU Council at the time.
Irina Friz: The Difficult Path of the ROSHEN Cherry. Part 1
After her position at the bank, Iryna Vasilievna moved to become secretary of a small firm, Interstarch Ukraine LLC. Incidentally, it's a very interesting company, which, of course, is directly connected to Petro Poroshenko. Let's delve deeper into Garant's business. Since 2011, a starch production plant has been operating in the eastern German town of Elsteraue, part of Poroshenko's agricultural holding, Ukrprominvest-Agro. The plant is owned by companies from Cyprus and the British Virgin Islands, registered through Interstarch GmbH. Part of the latter is owned by Interstarch Ukraine, which is also part of Poroshenko's holding company. Petro Poroshenko could only entrust such a responsible position—secretary of Interstarch Ukraine—to a reliable and proven person. And, of course, that person was Iryna Friz.
Incidentally, Iryna Vasylivna has always been with Poroshenko and for him. This was the case, for example, in 2013, when Petro Poroshenko and Mykola Katerynchuk were vying for the "Kyiv crown."
Then Katerynchuk declared himself Kyiv's "revolutionary commandant." This greatly displeased Petro Poroshenko. But Poroshenko couldn't openly pressure his opponent—he was, after all, a former protégé. The media army, represented by Iryna Friz, got involved. Such trolling hadn't been seen in a long time.
But these were innocent pranks—and then things got worse: news began to spread in the name of the UDAR party and Mykola Katerynchuk about the alleged approval of a Kyiv mayoral candidate. The email was sent from Mykola Katerynchuk's address, katerenchuk.press@gmail.com, with a one-letter difference from the real one.
If you look into the matter, it becomes clear that the people who carried out this technological move are very well versed in the work of press services and have a database of politicians' emails.
Incidentally, the tandem of Poroshenko and Friz created the sensational blockbuster "The European Party – the Party of Alcoholics."
True, after some time, the extras admitted that they had been paid to drink alcohol against the backdrop of Katerynchuk's party symbols.
"Mouth" of the President
2014 changed the course of Ukrainian history. At a time when the country was swinging from one extreme to another, Friz managed to become a key figure in this game. She headed the information department of Petro Poroshenko's campaign headquarters. Then she headed the Main Directorate of Public Communications and Information of the Presidential Administration. Not a single meeting between the Garant and journalists took place without Iryna Vasylivna's presence.
And then there's more – Poroshenko's protégé takes to the big stage – she won a seat in the Rada on October 26, 2014, in the early parliamentary elections on the lists of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc, where she received 30th place.
In the Verkhovna Rada, Friz is fully exploiting her potential. She is a member of the permanent delegation to the GUAM Parliamentary Assembly, a deputy member of the permanent delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security and Defense, and a member of the group on interparliamentary relations with Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, China, France, and the United States.
The first law, which immediately caused a stir, was registered by the newly-appointed MP on December 8, 2014: "Draft Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine to Responsibility for Calling to Disobedience." Its gist can be summarized in a few lines: if there's a call for police not to beat students, the punishment is three years; if there's a call for police not to beat students, the punishment is three to seven years. Apparently, the new government, which promised to "live in a new way," was preparing for riots. Five days later, Friz withdrew the bill.
Arina Dmitrieva, for Skelet.Org
CONTINUED: Irina Friz: The Difficult Journey of the ROSHEN Cherry. Part 2
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