Yuriy Boyko


Yuriy Anatoliyovych Boyko is a Ukrainian politician, former Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, and a former Minister of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine. He is considered one of the main supporters of closer integration between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.

Biography

Yuriy Boyko was born on 9 October 1958, in Horlivka, Donetsk Oblast. He is married, together with his wife Vera he is raising 6 children. Boyko plays ice hockey, football, likes waterskiing and windsurfing. Allegedly Boyko and controversial businessman Dmytro Firtash "are close associates".

Education

In 1981 Boyko graduated from the Moscow Institute of Chemical Technology named after Dmitry Mendeleev, and in 2001 he graduated from East-Ukrainian University.

Career

Boyko was deputy Minister of Fuel and Energy in the cabinet of Viktor Yanukovych. Late July 2004 he was appointed in a coordination committee for RosUkrEnergo.
On April 23, 2005 Boyko was elected the Chairman of the Republican Party of Ukraine. During Ukrainian parliamentary elections in 2006, the RPU joined the Opposition Bloc "Ne Tak!", yet they did not succeed to reach the 3% election threshold required by law. In the summer of 2005 President Viktor Yushchenko prevented Boyko to be arrested for abuse of office while heading Naftogaz. This arrest had been ordered by Security Service of Ukraine Chairman Oleksandr Turchynov. On 4 August 2006, he was appointed the Minister of Fuel and Energy. On 18 December 2007 Boyko was dismissed as Minister of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine due to the election to the 6th parliamentary elections.

November 2007 - March 2010 - People's Deputy of Ukraine, the 6th convocation of Verkhovna Rada, elected from the Party of Regions in the Ukrainian parliamentary elections in 2007.
On 11 March 2010 Boyko was appointed the Minister of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine
On 9 December 2010, due to the optimization of the system of central executive power in Ukraine President of Ukraine V. Yanukovych dismissed Boyko from the position of Minister of Fuel and Energy of Ukraine and appointed him the Minister of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine.
According to a newspaper "Dzerkalo Tyzhnia", in 2011 Yuriy Boyko was cited confirming the purchase of a modern offshore drilling platform from Singapore. Dzerkalo Tyzhnia conduct and investigation into the tender surrounding the offshore platform, which HIGHWAY INVESTMENT PROCESSING LLC, a supposed offshore shell from Wales, UK was the winner. The article stated that the Ukrainian State company Chornomornaftogaz, engaged in offshore oil and gas production in Azov and Black Sea, paid over $400M for a drilling rig that costs $248M. Using Google Street View, journalists cited that HIGHWAY INVESTMENT PROCESSING LLC appears to be situated in an equipment store on the outskirts of Cardiff, Wales. HIGHWAY INVESTMENTS LLC was further cited in the media as going through liquidation, however, the authorities suspended the liquidation process due to an investigation. Official records with United Kingdoms Companies House indicate the company was incorporated on 12 December 2008 and is currently listed as active. Throughout the whole affair, Yuriy Boyko denied fraud allegations surrounding the purchase, citing additional equipment and movement costs and a "report from Halliburton" confirming the price of $400M. Boyko labeled the "Dzerkalo Tyzhnia" journalists as "liars," "Dzerkalo Tyzhnia" in turn filed a lawsuit against Mr. Boyko which the Ukrainian court did not accept and the case is currently in appeals. Meanwhile, the affair has sparked a scandal in Norway where Seadrill was accused of insufficient due diligence and KYC on its shell customer HIGHWAY INVESTMENT PROCESSING LLC.
On 24 December 2012, Boiko was appointed a Vice Prime Minister in sphere of ecology, natural resources, energy, coal industry and industrial policy. On 23 May 2013, the space sector was added to his functions.
On 29 March 2014, a Party of Regions convention supported Mykhailo Dobkin's nomination as a presidential candidate, and on 7 April 2014, the political council of that party expelled Boyko from the party. In the 2014 Ukrainian presidential election Boyko received 0.19% of the vote.
In the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election he was again re-elected into parliament; this time heading the electoral list of Opposition Bloc.
On 14 November 2016, he physically attacked politician Oleh Lyashko after being called a "Kremlin agent."
On 9 November 2018, Boyko and the party For life signed an agreement for cooperation in the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election and the parliamentary election of the same year called Opposition Platform-For life. , Ukrayinska Pravda The same day Opposition Bloc leading members Vadym Novynskyi and Borys Kolesnikov claimed the agreement was a "personal initiative" of Boyko and that Opposition Bloc had not taken any decisions on cooperation with For life. On 17 November 2018 Opposition Platform-For life nominated Boyko as its candidate in the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election. Boyko was excluded from the Opposition Bloc faction "because they betrayed their voters" interests on 20 November 2018. Boyko's official nomination by Opposition Platform-For life was announced on 17 November. Because Opposition Platform-For life was not yet registered as a party in January 2019 it could not nominate him as a presidential candidate. Hence on 17 January 2019 Boyko submitted documents to the Central Election Commission of Ukraine for registration as a self-nominated candidate.

Awards

In June 2019, before the parliamentary elections in Verkhovna Rada, Boyko ranked first among potential prime ministers, defeating Tymoshenko and Groysman.

Family

He has three sons and three daughters.