Oleksandr Romanovych Onyshchenko ( uk, Олександр Романович Онищенко, born March 31, 1969) is a Ukrainian ex-politician, show jumping rider and patron. Onyshchenko was previously a member of the Ukrainian Parliament and a member of pro-Russian Ukrainian president
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 ...
’s
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 ...
. In the summer of 2016, while a member of Parliament, Onyshchenko fled Ukraine after he was stripped of immunity by the Parliament of Ukraine and the General Prosecutor Office expressed intention to arrest him due to charges related to alleged corruption and money laundering. In May 2020 Prosecutor's office of Ukraine extradition request was denied by the German court. Since 2016, he has resided in European Union. As of 2019, Onyshchenko was reportedly residing in Spain.
In January 2021, Onishchenko, as a member of the Russian network of influence, was personally sanctioned in the United States in connection with his interference in the American elections and the distribution of edited audio recordings of conversations between former American and Ukrainian officials in order to spread false allegations of corruption in Ukraine.
Early life
Oleksandr Onyshchenko was born on March 31, 1969. Some Ukrainian media claim that previously Onyshchenko carried a different family name - Oleksandr Radzhabovych Kadyrov.
He was educated at the Kharkiv Military College of the Rear of the Soviet Ministry of Interior (today the National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine) and graduated from the National Transport University.
His father was Rajab Kadyrov was a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, and later was the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan.
Business career
Onyshchenko started his career in 1990, where he worked in the oil and gas industry. Onyshchenko still owns oil and gas distribution company "GK Gazovy Alyans". Onyshchenko has also been implicated in running a fraud and money laundering scheme that traded approximately US$1.5 billion in illicit assets. Onyshchenko was named as part of the Quickpace deal between Onyshchenko , Pavel Fuchs, and “Prontoservus,” reportedly a front for
Serhiy Kurchenko
Serhiy Vitaliiovych Kurchenko ( uk, Сергі́й Віта́лійович Ку́рченко; born 21 September 1985) is a Ukrainian businessman and founder/owner of the group of companies "Gas Ukraine 2009" specializing in trading of liquefie ...
. No investigation ever been launched by the law enforcement agencies following the news publications.
While in exile, Onyshchenko reportedly bought a horse stud farm with intentions to host invitational equestrian tournaments. However, Onyshchenko failed to receive the necessary visa and work permits required to operate such a tournament within
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 ...
. As of 2022 all immigration formalities were cleared in Germany.
Political career
In 2007, Onyshchenko was appointed as an assistant Minister for Emergencies and affairs in protection of population from the consequences of the
Chernobyl Catastrophe
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the No. 4 nuclear reactor, reactor in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, near the city of Pripyat in the north of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainia ...
He was first elected as a member of the Ukrainian parliament (
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 ...
) in the
2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election
The Ukrainian parliamentary election of 2012 took place on 28 October 2012. In 2012 he was elected to parliament in electoral district 93 (located in
Kyiv Oblast
Kyiv Oblast ( uk, Ки́ївська о́бласть, translit=Kyïvska oblast), also called Kyivshchyna ( uk, Ки́ївщина), is an oblast (province) in central and northern Ukraine. It surrounds, but does not include, the city of Kyiv, w ...
) for
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 ...
.
/(website has automatic
Google Translate
Google Translate is a multilingual neural machine translation service developed by Google to translate text, documents and websites from one language into another. It offers a website interface, a mobile app for Android and iOS, and an API t ...
option)'' Short bio LIGA In 2014 he was re-elected in the same district as an independent candidate. In parliament he became a member of the parliamentary faction
People's Will
Narodnaya Volya ( rus, Наро́дная во́ля, p=nɐˈrodnəjə ˈvolʲə, t=People's Will) was a late 19th-century revolutionary political organization in the Russian Empire which conducted assassinations of government officials in an att ...
.
Exile
In 2016, Onyshchenko was accused of corruption by 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 ...
, whom he accused of corruption. People's Will expelled him in June 2017. His parliamentary immunity was stripped in July 2016.
In Ukraine the
National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine
National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine ( uk, Національне Антикорупційне Бюро України, ''НАБУ'') or NABU is a Ukrainian law enforcement anti-corruption agency which investigates corruption in Ukraine ...
has charged Onyschenko as the founder and head of a criminal organization, allegedly whose members in the period from January 2014 to June 2016 stole funds during the production and sale of natural gas under joint venture agreements with UkrGasVydobuvannya.WACS arrested Onishchenko's stable in Germany
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 ...
(30 December 2021)
Onyshchenko initially fled to the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
, then to
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 ...
, and finally
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
, where he reportedly currently resides. In May 2020,
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 ...
refused extradition of Onyshchenko. A court ruling stated it was "likely" that his extradition "would not meet minimum standards of international law on conditions of detention", including the
European Convention on Human Rights
The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR; formally the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms) is an international convention to protect human rights and political freedoms in Europe. Drafted in 1950 by t ...
.
On 11 January 2021, Onyshchenko was put on the US Sanctioned Persons list due to attempt to influence U.S. Presidential elections.
Show jumping and philanthropy
Onyshchenko became a professional show jumping rider in 2000, when he acquired a
stud farm
A stud farm or stud in animal husbandry is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud" comes from the Old English ''stod'' meaning "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding". Historically, documentation o ...
in Belgium. He subsequently purchased another stud farm in Germany. He was the president of the Equestrian Federation of Ukraine from 2002 to 2013. In 2008, he as the president of the Equestrian Federation presented the national team of Ukraine for the first time in the Olympics and competed at the
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...
(
jumping
Jumping or leaping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jumping can be distinguished from running, galloping and o ...
event), the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
(
jumping
Jumping or leaping is a form of locomotion or movement in which an organism or non-living (e.g., robotic) mechanical system propels itself through the air along a ballistic trajectory. Jumping can be distinguished from running, galloping and o ...
event), and the 2014
Show Jumping World Championships
The World Show Jumping Championships, or the show jumping competition at the FEI World Equestrian Games, was started in 1953, with individual competition. In 1978 Team competitions began, and men and women began competing against one another. From ...
.
In 2013, Onyshchenko bought
FC Arsenal Kyiv
Football Club Arsenal Kyiv () is a Ukrainian football club based in Kyiv. In 2019, the club's professional team was dissolved, but its junior teams continue to compete in city competitions. The club claims to be a successor of Kyiv Arsenal fact ...
which at the end of the same year was announced as bankrupt and was withdrawn from the football competitions (see 2013-14 Ukrainian Premier League).
Onyshchenko is the founder and director of "Top Ukraine", a charity to promote "sport, fashion, art and culture in Ukraine". The Top Ukraine organizes such events as Miss Ukraine and
Miss Ukraine Universe
Miss Ukraine Universe (or Miss Universe Ukraine / uk, Міс Україна — Всесвіт) is one of the biggest beauty pageants in Ukraine. The winner represents Ukraine at the most prestigious international beauty contest "Miss Universe" ...
.
Personal life
Onyshchenko has two children. Onyshchenko was married to Miss Ukraine 1997 Kseniya Kuzmenko until mid 2009, living mostly in Belgium, and has a child Олександр Olexandr or Sasha (b. 2002) with her. (According to Ukrainian media) in 2009 he was engaged to Ukrainian model
Snejana Onopka
Snejana Dmitrievna Onopka ( uk, Сніжана Дмитрівна Онопко; born 15 December 1986) is a Ukrainian model.
Early life
Born 15 December 1986 in Severodonetsk, Onopka moved to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, in 2001. While there, ...
, but the couple didn't marry. Onyshchenko was dating
Ganna Rizatdinova
Hanna Serhiivna RizatdinovaAlternatively spelled as ''Ganna Rizatdinova'' or ''Anna Rizatdinova''. ( ua, Ганна Сергіївна Різатдінова; born 16 July 1993) is a Ukrainian individual rhythmic gymnast. In the all-around event ...
, an Olympic award-winning Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast, who is 24 years younger than him. In 2017 their son Roman was born. In 2018, Onyshchenko and Rizatdinova separated.
In August 2016, Onyshchenko moved to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, UK because he feared for his life claiming "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 ...
) organises everything to kill me." He later moved to
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
.
In the Russian register of companies Onyshchenko appears in a February 2021 registration documents as a citizen of Russia.
In October 2021, a daughter was born in Ankum, Germany.
In May 2022 Onyshchenko was granted Macedonian citizenship. The government of North Macedonia decided to revoke this decision (to grant citizenship to Onishchenko) early December 2022.