Ruslan Volodymyrovych Koshulynskyi ( uk, Руслан Володимирович Кошулинський; born 9 September 1969) is a Ukrainian politician, nationalist, soldier, and former
People's Deputy of Ukraine
People's, branded as ''People's Viennaline'' until May 2018, and legally ''Altenrhein Luftfahrt Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, GmbH'', is an Austrian airline headquartered in Vienna. It operates scheduled and charter passenger flights ma ...
who served as the 9th Deputy Speaker 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 ...
(2012–2014). He is also the Deputy Leader of
Svoboda party.
Early life and education
Koshulynskyi was born in
Lviv
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in western Ukraine, and the seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is one of the main cultural centres of Ukraine ...
to Victor Kosulynskyi and Natalia Koshulynska (née Etkind). He attended the Lviv Sports Boarding School, graduating in 1986. In 1987, he was conscripted to the
Soviet Army
uk, Радянська армія
, image = File:Communist star with golden border and red rims.svg
, alt =
, caption = Emblem of the Soviet Army
, start_date ...
and served in
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
for two years. After the army service, he enrolled to the Lviv Cooperative College of Economics and Law, which he completed in 1991. He then moved to the
Kolomyia
Kolomyia, formerly known as Kolomea ( ua, Коломия, Kolomyja, ; pl, Kołomyja; german: Kolomea; ro, Colomeea; yi, ), is a city located on the Prut River in Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast (province), in western Ukraine. It serves as the admi ...
region, where he found work as production manager in a local restaurant. In 1995, he travelled to
Krasnoyarsk Krai
Krasnoyarsk Krai ( rus, Красноя́рский край, r=Krasnoyarskiy kray, p=krəsnɐˈjarskʲɪj ˈkraj) is a federal subject of Russia (a krai), with its administrative center in the city of Krasnoyarsk, the third-largest city in Siber ...
to work at a gold mining company for a year. Upon his return to Lviv in 1996, he became involved in politics and joined the
Svoboda party. In the early 2000s, he took up post-secondary studies again at the
Ternopil National Economic University
West Ukrainian National University, WUNU ( uk, Західноукраїнський національний університет, translit=Zakhidnoukrains’kyi Natsional’nyi Universytet) founded in 1971. It is located in the city of Ternop ...
and graduated with a bachelor's degree in law in 2006.
Political life
In August 2008, Koshulynsky was appointed the deputy head of the
Svoboda an ultranationalist political party in Ukraine. In November 2010 he became the leader of the Svoboda party caucus at the
Lviv City Council, as well as the member of the Council's standing committee on finance and budgetary planning.
He was Svoboda's campaign manager during its national breakthrough at the
2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election
The Ukrainian parliamentary election of 2012 took place on 28 October 2012.[Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...]
elected him the Deputy Speaker by absolute majority of the vote. During his time in office he co-chaired the Poland-Ukraine interparliamentary group. Koshulynsky actively supported the
2013-2014 demonstrations against the regime of 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 ...
and was one of a handful of parliamentary opposition members who remained with the protesters during the police gunfire in February 2014. In March 2014 he stated that the decision to hold
Crimea referendum was unconstitutional, citing the absence of Ukrainian legislative framework on local referendums.
In Ukraine's
2014 snap parliamentary election Koshulynskyi ran 2nd on the party list, but the party ended up 0.29% short of the
minimum required 5% national vote.
[Poroshenko Bloc to have greatest number of seats in parliament](_blank)
, Ukrainian Television and Radio
UTR ( uk, Українське телебачення і радіомовлення; Ukrayins'ke telebachennya i radiomovlennya) is the Ukrainian state owned TV channel targeting a foreign Ukrainian-speaking audience. Programming is provided with ...
(8 November 2014)
People's Front 0.33% ahead of Poroshenko Bloc with all ballots counted in Ukraine elections - CEC
Interfax-Ukraine
The Interfax-Ukraine ( uk, Інтерфакс-Україна) is a Kyiv-based Ukraine, Ukrainian independent news agency founded in 1992. The company does not belong to the Russian news corporation Interfax Information Services. The company pub ...
(8 November 2014)
Poroshenko Bloc to get 132 seats in parliament - CEC
Interfax-Ukraine
The Interfax-Ukraine ( uk, Інтерфакс-Україна) is a Kyiv-based Ukraine, Ukrainian independent news agency founded in 1992. The company does not belong to the Russian news corporation Interfax Information Services. The company pub ...
(8 November 2014)
On 25 October 2015 he unsuccessfully ran for Lviv city mayor, losing in the second round to the incumbent
Andriy Sadovyi
Andriy Ivanovych Sadovyi ( uk, Андрій Іванович Садовий, ''Andriy Ivanovych Sadovyi'') is a Ukrainian politician. He is the mayor of Lviv, the administrative center of the Lviv Oblast of western Ukraine, former leader of the ...
with 36.8% of the vote.
He was elected as member of the
Lviv Oblast Council
The Lviv Oblast Council or Lviv Regional Council ( uk, Львівська обласна рада) is the regional council (parliament) of the Lviv Oblast (region) located in western Ukraine.
Legislative framework
The Regional Council is a loc ...
in the
2015 election.
He believes that Ukraine's government can finance the armed forces by levying increased war tax on the oligarchs.
On 19 November 2018 Svoboda and fellow
Ukrainian nationalist
Ukrainian nationalism refers to the promotion of the unity of Ukrainians as a people and it also refers to the promotion of the identity of Ukraine as a nation state. The nation building that arose as nationalism grew following the French Revol ...
political organizations
Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists
The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists ( uk, Організація українських націоналістів, Orhanizatsiya ukrayins'kykh natsionalistiv, abbreviated OUN) was a Ukrainian ultranationalist political organization estab ...
,
Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists
The Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists ( uk, Конгрес українських націоналістів ''Konhres ukrayinskykh natsionalistiv'') is a far-right political party in Ukraine. It was founded on October 18, 1992, and registered wit ...
,
Right Sector
Right Sector ( uk, Пра́вий се́ктор, ''Pravyi sektor'') is a right-wing to far-right, Ukrainian nationalist organization. It originated in November 2013 as a right-wing, paramilitary confederation of several radical nationalist orga ...
and
C14 endorsed Koshulynskyi candidacy in the
2019 Ukrainian presidential election
The 2019 Ukrainian presidential election was held on 31 March and 21 April in a two-round system.
There were 39 candidates for the election on the ballot. The 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia and the occupation of parts of Donetsk Oblast an ...
. In the election he received 1.6% of the votes.
In the
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 ...
Koshulynskyi was placed fifth on the joined list of Svoboda with
National Corps
The National Corps ( uk, Національний корпус, Natsionalnyi korpus), also known as the National Corps Party, and previously called the Patriots of Ukraine, is a far-right political party in Ukraine founded in 2016 and then led by ...
, the
Governmental Initiative of Yarosh
Dmytro Anatoliyovych Yarosh ( uk, Дмитро Анатолійович Я́рош; born 30 September 1971) is a Ukrainian activist, politician, nationalist and military commander who is the main commander of the Right Sector's Ukrainian Vol ...
and
Right Sector
Right Sector ( uk, Пра́вий се́ктор, ''Pravyi sektor'') is a right-wing to far-right, Ukrainian nationalist organization. It originated in November 2013 as a right-wing, paramilitary confederation of several radical nationalist orga ...
. But in the election they won 2.15% of the votes, less than half if the 5% election threshold, and thus no parliamentary seats via the national party list.
[CEC counts 100 percent of vote in Ukraine's parliamentary elections](_blank)
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 ...
(26 July 2019)
Results of the extraordinary elections of the People's Deputies of Ukraine 2019
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 ...
(21 July 2019)
In the 28 March 2021
by-election
A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...
for constituency 87 (located in
Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast ( uk, Іва́но-Франкі́вська о́бласть, translit=Ivano-Frankivska oblast), also referred to as Ivano-Frankivshchyna ( uk, Іва́но-Франкі́вщина), is an administrative divisions of Ukrain ...
) Koshulynskyi was a candidate for Svoboda.
[By-elections to the Rada: The CEC has already registered eight candidates]
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 ...
(15 February 2021) On 16 March
European Solidarity
European Solidarity ( uk, Європейська солідарність, Yevropeis'ka solidarnist', YeS) is a political party in Ukraine. It has its roots in a parliamentary group called Solidarity dating from 2000 and has existed since in vario ...
candidate withdrew her candidacy in favor of Koshulynskyi. On 22 April 2021 the
Central Election Commission of Ukraine
The Central Election Commission of Ukraine ( uk, Центральна виборча комісія України, commonly abbreviated in Ukrainian as ЦВК (''Tse-Ve-Ka''); sometimes referred to as the Central Electoral Commission of Ukrai ...
(CEC) officially declared
Servant of the People
Servant of the People (SN; uk, Слуга народу, Sluha narodu, ) is a liberal, centrist, pro-European political party in Ukraine.
It was formed in late 2017 and was officially registered on 31 March 2018 on the basis of the previously ...
candidate
Vasyl Virastyuk
Vasyl Virastyuk ( uk, Василь Вірастюк; born 22 April 1974), is a Ukrainians, Ukrainian politician and former strongman (strength athlete), strongman competitor. He is a brother of Roman Virastyuk. Virastyuk was the winner of 2004 Wo ...
the winner of this election with 31.25%.
(Runner up)
Olexandr Shevchenko
Oleksandr Leonidovych Shevchenko ( uk, Олександр Леонідович Шевченко; born 8 April 1971) is a Ukrainian entrepreneur, social activist, politician and a benefactor. He was a People's Deputy of Ukraine in the 7th an ...
officially received 749 votes less (gaining 29.69% of vote) and Koshulynskyi came third with 28.86% of the vote.
[The Supreme Court annulled the CEC protocol by which Virastyuk was elected People's Deputy]
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 ...
(2 May 2021) Shevchenko appealed this decision and on 2 May 2021 the
Supreme Court of Ukraine
The Supreme Court of Ukraine ( uk, Верховний Суд України, ) is the highest judicial body in the system of courts of general jurisdiction in Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europ ...
revoked the April 22 CEC decision claiming the CEC had not ensured the verification of all violations committed during the election.
On 19 May 2021 the CEC drew up a new protocol on the results of the election; This time they declared the results of 6 polling stations invalid.
According to this document Virastyuk had gained 14,811 votes, Shevchenko 13,942 and Koshulynskyi 13,463.
[The CEC once again recognized Virastyuk as the winner of the by-elections to the Verkhovna Rada]
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 ...
(19 May 2021) On 23 May 2021 the Supreme Court annulled this protocol too after an appeal by Shevchenko. The Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court annulled this decision on 5 June 2021 and ten days later Virastyuk took the oath of
People's Deputy of Ukraine
People's, branded as ''People's Viennaline'' until May 2018, and legally ''Altenrhein Luftfahrt Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, GmbH'', is an Austrian airline headquartered in Vienna. It operates scheduled and charter passenger flights ma ...
.
Donbas War assignment
During Ukraine's 2015 mobilization effort Koshulynskyi joined the
artillery troops of the
Ukrainian Ground Forces
The Ukrainian Ground Forces ( uk, Сухопу́тні військá Збрóйних сил Украї́ни), also known as the Ukrainian Army, are the Army, land forces of Ukraine and one of the five Military branch, branches of the Armed For ...
as Gun Commander.
After undergoing training at the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre in
Yavoriv
Yavoriv ( uk, Яворів, ; pl, Jaworów; yi, יאַוואָראָוו , translit=Yavorov; german: Jaworiw) is a city in the Lviv region of western Ukraine which is around 15 kilometers from the Polish border. It is the administrative centre ...
, he was deployed to the
war zone in the Luhansk region of east Ukraine. Koshulynskyi served as Senior Sergeant during his combat duty.
Personal life
Koshulynskyi is married to his wife Mariia Koshulynska, with whom he has three children.
References
External links
Ruslan Koshulynskyi’s official Verkhovna Rada pageBiography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koshulynskyi, Ruslan
Candidates in the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election
People of the Euromaidan
Svoboda (political party) politicians
Seventh convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada
Ternopil National Economic University alumni
1969 births
Politicians from Lviv
Living people
Deputy chairmen of the Verkhovna Rada