Oleksandr Starukh

Oleksandr Vasyliovych Starukh (Ukrainian: Олександр Васильович Старух; born 28 April 1973)^[2] is a Ukrainian historian and politician.^[3] On 18 December 2020 he was appointed as Governor of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.^[4] He had previously been Governor of Zaporizhzhia Oblast from 2008 to 2010.^[5][6] On 24 January 2023, he was removed from his position as Governor.^[7]

Oleksandr Starukh
Олександр Старух
Governor of Zaporizhzhia Oblast disputed with Yevgeny Balitsky (9 May 2022 - 24 January 2023)[a]
In office 18 December 2020 – 24 January 2023
President	Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Preceded by	Vitaliy Bohovin[1]
Succeeded by	Yuriy Malashko
In office 25 September 2008 – 18 March 2010 Acting: 30 May 2008 – 25 September 2008
President	Viktor Yushchenko
Preceded by	Valery Cherkaska (Acting)
Succeeded by	Borys Petrov
Personal details
Born	(1973-04-28) 28 April 1973 (age 52) Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Political party	Batkivshchyna[2]
Education	Zaporizhzhia National University
Occupation	historian politician

Biography

Starukh studied history at Zaporizhzhia National University (1995). Candidate of Historical Sciences (1998), Associate Professor (2003).^[5]

In the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary election Starukh failed to get elected to the Ukrainian parliament for People's Movement of Ukraine.^[2]

In 2007 and 2008 Starukh worked in the Secretariat of the President of Ukraine regional development department.^[5]

On 25 September 2008, President Viktor Yushchenko appointed Starukh Governor of Zaporizhzhia Oblast.^[5] He was dismissed from this post by Yanukovych on 18 March 2010.^[5][6]

Starukh failed again to go into national politics when in the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election; as a candidate of Batkivshchyna he lost in electoral district 75, located in Zaporizhzhia, to Serhiy Kaltsev of Party of Regions.^[8][2] (Kaltsev gained 38.40% of the votes, Starukh finished second with 15.73%.^[8])

In the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election Starukh was placed 49th on the (national) election list of Batkivshchyna, but he was not elected because the party won 17 seats on the (national) party list, and two seats in majority constituencies.^[9][10]

In the 2015 Ukrainian local elections Starukh was elected a member of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast Council for Batkivshchyna.^[2][11]

On 18 December 2020 Starukh was (again) appointed as Governor of Zaporizhzhia Oblast by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.^[4]

On 24 January 2023, he was removed from his position as Governor.^[7]

Starukh is a member of the All-Ukrainian Union "Fatherland".^[12][13]

Notes

1. Control over Zaporizhzhia Oblast is disputed due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Balitsky was installed by Russian forces on 9 May 2022, while Starukh remained loyal to the Ukrainian government.