Hennadiy Adolfovych Kernes
russian: Генна́дий Адо́льфович Ке́рнес, translit=Gennady Adolfovich Kernes (27 June 1959 – 17 December 2020) was a Ukrainian politician who was the Mayor of

Kharkiv Kharkiv ( uk, wikt:Харків, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine. until his death in 2020.Kharkiv mayor Kernes dies

Ukrinform The National News Agency of Ukraine ( uk, Українське національне інформаційне агентство), or Ukrinform ( uk, Укрінформ), is a state information and news agency, and international broadcaster of ...

(17 December 2020)
Помер Геннадій Кернес: мер Харкова, який виграв вибори з реанімації

BBC Ukrainian BBC News Ukrainian ( uk, BBC News Україна) is the Ukrainian service of the BBC which conveys the latest political, social, economical and sport news relevant to Ukraine and the world. It started broadcasts in 1992.

(17 December 2020)

Early life

Kernes was born into a

Jewish family Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

, to Adolf Lazarevych Kernes and Anna Abramovna in

TASS The Russian News Agency TASS (russian: Информацио́нное аге́нтство Росси́и ТАСС, translit=Informatsionnoye agentstvo Rossii, or Information agency of Russia), abbreviated TASS (russian: ТАСС, label=none) ...

(encyclopaedia) He graduated from the National University "Yaroslav the Wise Law Academy of Ukraine" with a degree in law and from

Kharkiv National University The Kharkiv University or Karazin University ( uk, Каразінський університет), or officially V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University ( uk, Харківський національний університет імені ...

of Economics with a degree in public administration. Kernes started his career in 1977 at the Kharkiv plant "Miner's Light". Between 1977 and 1979 Kernes studied in CTC-14 in Kharkiv and specialised in draftsman-designer on mechanics.Meet Hennadiy Kernes. He is the main contender for the mayor of Kharkiv by Arkady Schultz (''Аркадій Шульц''. Знайомтеся: Геннадій Адольфович. Ким є основний претендент на крісло мера Харкова)

The Ukrainian Week ''The Ukrainian Week'' ( uk, Український Тиждень, translit=Ukrainskyi Tyzhden) is an illustrated weekly magazine covering politics, economics and the arts and aimed at the socially engaged Ukrainian-language reader. It provides ...

, № 40 (153) (1 October 2010)

Business career

From 1979 to 1990, Kernes worked for a number of enterprises. According to his official biography, his career began in 1977. Kernes managed the production and trading company Acceptor from 1992 to 1994. He then became the chairman at CJSC NPK-Holding until 1999. Kernes was then first deputy director of the Kharkiv branch of the Trading House Gas of Ukraine until 2001. He then became CEO at NPK-Holding until 2006. Kernes had a criminal record for theft and fraud; according to him, the accusations were "partly fabricated" by "his enemies".

Political career

In 1998, Kernes was first elected into the Kharkiv City Council, and served three terms there. Between April and May 2002, Kernes was the secretary of Kharkiv City Council. In the City Council, he founded and led the nonpartisan deputy group "New Kharkiv - New Opportunities." In November 2004, he supported the

Orange Revolution The Orange Revolution ( uk, Помаранчева революція, translit=Pomarancheva revoliutsiia) was a series of protests and political events that took place in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005, in the immediate afterm ...

. He came out to condemn the actions taken by the regional governor

Yevhen Kushnaryov Yevhen Petrovych Kushnaryov ( uk, Євген Петрович Кушнарьов, ) (January 29, 1951 – January 17, 2007) was a prominent Ukrainian politician of the post-Soviet era. Kushnaryov was considered one of the chief ideologues of the ...

. In 2006, he was elected to the Kharkiv City Council on the list of the

Party of Regions The Party of Regions ( uk, Партія регіонів, Partiia rehioniv, ; russian: Партия регионов, Partiya regionov) was a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine formed in late 1997 that then grew to be the biggest party of Uk ...

, as a member of the party. In April 2006 Kernes became the secretary of Kharkiv City Council. Prior to

Mykhailo Dobkin Mykhailo Markovych Dobkinrussian: Михаил Маркович Добкин, translit=Mikhail Markovich Dobkin (born 26 January 1970) is a Ukrainian politician, former governor of Kharkiv Oblast, former mayor of Kharkiv,

's 2010 appointment to the post of the head of the Kharkiv regional state administration, Kernes had been the secretary of city council, the

acting mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

of Kharkiv (March 2010 – 24 November 2010). In 2010, he had his candidacy nominated for the

in the 2010 Ukrainian local elections as mayor of Kharkiv. In October, Kernes was elected as the mayor of Kharkiv by a small, controversial margin.Keys to cities. What is the secret of longevity of mayors

(10 August 2020) On 24 November 2010, he took the oath and entered the post in early December 2010. In January 2014, Kernes awarded himself a 25% pay raise. Kernes was noted for holding a strongly 'pro-

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

n' stance and for being a supporter of then-

President of Ukraine The president of Ukraine ( uk, Президент України, Prezydent Ukrainy) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, condu ...

Viktor Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych ( uk, Віктор Федорович Янукович, ; ; born 9 July 1950) is a former politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 until he was removed from office in the Revolution of Di ...

. During the anti-Yanukovych

Euromaidan Euromaidan (; uk, Євромайдан, translit=Yevromaidan, lit=Euro Square, ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protes ...

protests in late 2013 and early 2014, he was accused of organizing

anti-Maidan The anti-Maidan ( uk, Антимайда́н, Antymaidan; russian: Антимайдан, Antimaydan) refers to a number of pro-Russian demonstrations in Ukraine in 2013 and 2014 that were directed against Euromaidan and later the new Ukrainian g ...

demonstrations, as well as hiring

titushky The Titushky (plural; uk, тітушки, russian: титушки) were mercenary agents in Ukraine who supported the Ukrainian security services during the administration of Viktor Yanukovych, often posing as street hooligans in sports clothing ...

(thugs that allegedly provoked and attacked Euromaidan supporters). Following the

Revolution of Dignity The Revolution of Dignity ( uk, Революція гідності, translit=Revoliutsiia hidnosti) also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution,

, after he and the

governor of Kharkiv Oblast The Governor of Kharkiv Oblast ( uk, Голова Харківської обласної державної адміністрації) is the Chief of Local State Administration (Ukraine), head of executive branch for the Kharkiv Oblast. The of ...

, Mykhailo Dobkin, had briefly found refuge in

,"Hennadiy Kernes - Full Biography"
/ref> Kernes was accused of alleged connections to death threats, kidnapping and torturing of participants of

in Kharkiv and was subsequently placed under night-time house arrest."Hennadiy Kernes - Kharkiv Mayor"
/ref> This criminal case against him was dropped on 30 July 2014 "due to the serious illness of the suspect". He was accused, in February 2014, by the post-revolutionary leadership of promoting

separatism Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seeking greate ...

. However, since then he was believed to have softened this position,Mayor of Ukraine's Second-largest City Shot
UNN pivoting to support an undivided Ukraine in line with Kyiv. In March 2014 he stated that he had been a "prisoner of Yanukovych's system" and that he expected "good things to come" from the new Yatsenyuk Government."Kharkiv's Kernes justifies his 180-degree political turn by saying he was 'prisoner' of Yanukovych system"
MY-MEDIA, 6 March 2014; accessed 28 August 2014.

Attempted assassination and re-election

On 28 April 2014, Kernes was shot once in the back while hiking by an unknown assailant using a sniper rifle. Although the wound was life-threatening, doctors performed emergency surgery and were able to stabilize him. The following day Kernes was flown to

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

for further treatment. According to a report by

Televiziyna Sluzhba Novyn The TSN or Television Service of News is a Ukrainian daily news program of 1+1 TV channel produced by 1+1 Media Group, broadcast from a television studio at their headquarters in Podil, Kyiv since 2013. Before Russia invasion of Ukraine, on wee ...

on 10 May 2014, he was "making a quick recovery"; in the accompanying interview he stated, "I'm in favor of Kharkiv remaining part of Ukraine, and therefore in favor of seeing her flourish". While recovering in Israel, Kernes stated on 11 June 2014 his willingness to cooperate with newly-inaugurated Ukrainian President

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko ( uk, Петро́ Олексі́йович Пороше́нко, ; born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko ser ...

. On 12 August 2014, he stated "Please remember these people -Kharkiv was, is, and will be part of a single and indivisible Ukraine". Kernes commented on the

2014 Russian annexation of Crimea In February and March 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. This event took place in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity and is part of the wider Russo-Ukrainian War. The events in Kyiv th ...

on 23 August 2014, saying "Crimea will return to Ukraine, I believe in it". Kernes returned to Kharkiv on 17 June 2014. Following the incident, he used a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...

. In the October 2015 Kharkiv mayoral election, Kernes was re-elected as a candidate of Revival in the first round of the election with 65.8% of the votes, with a voter turnout of 44.4%. In the July

2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election Snap elections to the Ukrainian parliament were held on 21 July 2019. Originally scheduled to be held at the end of October, these elections were brought forward after newly inaugurated President of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dissolv ...

, Kernes was placed in the top ten of the party list of

Opposition Bloc russian: Оппозиционный блок , colorcode = , logo = Opposition Bloc.png , logo_size = 240px , leader1_title = Chairman , leader1_name = Rinat Akhmetov (one wing)Dmytro Firtash & Yuriy Boyko ( ...

. However, the nationwide list of this party won just 3.23% of the votes, failing to overcome the 5% election barrier and keeping Kernes from a seat in the Verkhovna Rada. In June 2020, Kernes announced that he had been nominated for re-election as Kharkiv mayor under the banner of his new political party,

Kernes Bloc — Successful Kharkiv , country = Ukraine , website uspishniy.kharkiv.ua Kernes Bloc — Successful Kharkiv () is a political party of Ukraine, registered on April 12, 2016. The founder and first head of the political party was Hennadiy Kernes, who created it with th ...

in the October 2020 Kharkiv mayoral election.The first donors appeared in the Kernes Bloc - Successful Kharkiv party (Updated)

Civil movement "Chesno" Chesno ( uk, Чесно, lit=honestly, fairly) is a Ukrainian public campaign that emerged late 2011 to advance a fair election process. It is widely known for its critical analysis and evaluation of politicians and the Verkhovna Rada (parliame ...

(24 June 2020)

Death

Funeral of Hennadiy Kernes by Sergiy Bobok - 01

Kernes last public appearance was on Kharkiv City Day on 23 August 2020. On 15 September, the Kharkiv City Council officially denied reports that he had gone into a coma after becoming infected with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine The COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine has resulted in confirmed cases of COVID-19 and deaths. The virus was confirmed to have spread to Ukraine when the country's first case was confirmed to be hospitalized in Chernivtsi Oblast on 3 March 2020, a ...

.Kharkiv City Council denies reports on mayor's COVID-19 coma

UNIAN The UNIAN or Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News ( uk, Українське Незалежне Інформаційне Агентство Новин, УНІАН, translit=Ukrayins'ke Nezalezhne Informatsiyne Ahentstvo Novyn) is a ...

(15 September 2020) It was confirmed that he was on sick leave. On 17 September 2020, Kernes was hospitalized in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

university hospital A university hospital is an institution which combines the services of a hospital with the education of medical students and with medical research. These hospitals are typically affiliated with a medical school or university. The following i ...

Charité The Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Charité – Berlin University of Medicine) is one of Europe's largest university hospitals, affiliated with Humboldt University and Free University Berlin. With numerous Collaborative Research Cen ...

, to be treated for his COVID-19 infection.Kharkiv, the votes in the mayoral election were counted: who wins and whether there will be a second round

(4 November 2020) He did not appear in public afterwards.Kernes was re-elected mayor of Kharkiv - a voter

Ukrayinska Pravda ''Ukrainska Pravda'' ( uk, Українська правда, lit=Ukrainian Truth) is a Ukrainian online newspaper founded by Georgiy Gongadze on 16 April 2000 (the day of the Ukrainian constitutional referendum). Published mainly in Ukraini ...

(4 November 2020) Kernes won the 25 October 2020 Kharkiv mayoral election with 60.34% of the votes. At the time of his election, his party stated that Kernes would shortly return to Kharkiv to fulfil his duties as Mayor. On 9 December 2020, Kernes was sworn in as Kharkiv Mayor without being present at the first session of the new Kharkiv City Council.Kernes had kidney failure

(11 December 2020) Two days later, it was confirmed that Kernes had suffered

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...

. Despite this, the public relations department of the Kharkiv City Council stated that he would "be able to perform his duties." On 17 December 2020, the Kharkiv City Council and Kernes' friend

Pavel Fuks Pavel Yakovlevich Fuks ( uk, Павло Якович Фукс, russian: Павел Яковлевич Фукс (surname sometimes also spelled Fuchs); b. 27 October 1971) is a Ukrainian oligarchMultiple sources: * * * * * who is known for foundin ...

confirmed that Kernes had died in Berlin of complications from COVID-19. On this day, it was also announced that, due to Kernes' death, a three-day mourning would be held in Kharkiv, with all entertainment and concert events and sports competitions being cancelled, but this was scaled back to one day on 18 December 2020.Life in Kharkiv after the mayor's death

(18 December 2020) Kernes was buried on 23 December 2020 at , where famous Kharkiv residents are traditionally buried. His funeral ceremony was held at Kharkiv's Annunciation Cathedral in a service that was led by the

primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians (monkeys and apes, the latter including huma ...

of the

Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) The Ukrainian Orthodox Church ( uk, Українська православна церква, Ukrainska pravoslavna tserkva; russian: Украинская православная церковь, Ukrainskaya pravoslavnaya tserkov', UOC), common ...

, Metropolitan Onufriy.Kharkiv say goodbye to Kernes: 400 policemen of protection, and Onufriy buried him

(23 December 2020)
Hennadiy Kernes was buried (photo, video)
SQ (23 December 2020)

Personal life

Kernes' first wife was Oksana Vasilenko; the couple divorced in 1985.Oksana Haysinskaya and Hennadiy Kernes
Комментарии:, 2 March 2012. His second wife was Oksana (née Haysinskaya). Kernes was a father of three children,
LIGA including his stepson, Haysinskaya's son from her previous marriage. In January 2003 Haysinskaya appealed to the police department alleging that Kernes had injured her. Subsequently, Kharkiv billboards appeared with the message "Oksana, I'm sorry!". Kernes owned 27 dogs, assorted birds, and other animals and since 2007 had lived in a Kharkiv hotel.
''The New York Times'', 28 April 2014. His

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

account was described by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' as "eccentric"; Kernes claimed "Of all the mayors, my Instagram account is the best". He was known for actively promoting healthier living. Since they met in 1998, Kernes was a close friend of

– governor of

Kharkiv Oblast Kharkiv Oblast ( uk, Харківська́ о́бласть, translit=Kharkivska oblast), also referred to as Kharkivshchyna ( uk, Ха́рківщина), is an oblast (province) of eastern Ukraine. The oblast borders Russia to the north, Luhans ...

from 2010 to 2014, mayor of Kharkiv from 2006 to 2010, past member of the

Verkhovna Rada The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...

(Ukraine's parliament) and the

candidate in the

2014 Ukrainian presidential election Snap presidential elections held in Ukraine on 25 May 2014 resulted in Petro Poroshenko being elected President of Ukraine.corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

rules, which compel all senior public officials to declare their wealth in an electronic database, Kernes declared in October 2016 that he owned more than $1.6m in

hard currency In macroeconomics, hard currency, safe-haven currency, or strong currency is any globally traded currency that serves as a reliable and stable store of value. Factors contributing to a currency's ''hard'' status might include the stability and ...

Awards

* The

Order of Merit The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...

third class (5 July 2012) – ''For the significant personal contribution to the preparation and conduct of the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship final in Ukraine, successful implementation of infrastructural projects, law and order and public safety guarantee during the tournament, improvement of international Ukraine authority, high professionalism'' * The Kharkiv regional state administration certificate * The Badge of Honor 'Slobozhyanskaya Slava', "For diligence to 350 years of Kharkiv foundation" * The Medal '60th anniversary of the Battle of Kursk' * The Medal 'For active participation in the veteran's movement' * The XVII annual award 'Person of the Year 2012' in the category of 'City Head of the Year'

Notes

References

External links

Official website

Kernes bio on Liga.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kernes, Hennadiy 1959 births 2020 deaths Politicians from Kharkiv Mayors of Kharkiv Jewish Ukrainian politicians Party of Regions politicians Revival (Ukraine) politicians Pro-government people of the Euromaidan People of the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine Shooting survivors Prisoners and detainees of Ukraine Ukrainian prisoners and detainees Soviet Jews Ukrainian Jews Ukrainian people with disabilities Ukrainian politicians with disabilities Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany Laureates of the Honorary Diploma of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Recipients of the Honorary Diploma of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine