Leonid Oleksandrovych Kozhara ( uk, Леонід Олександрович Кожара, Russian: Леонид Александрович Кожара, born 14 January 1963) is a former
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine ( uk, Міністерство закордонних справ України) is the ministry of the Ukrainian government that oversees the foreign relations of Ukraine. The head of the ministry is t ...
. In 2013 he was the OSCE's (
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) is the world's largest regional security-oriented intergovernmental organization with observer status at the United Nations. Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, pro ...
) Chairperson-in-Office, during the Ukrainian presidency of the OSCE.
After the
Revolution of Dignity
The Revolution of Dignity ( uk, Революція гідності, translit=Revoliutsiia hidnosti) also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution,
, Kozhara was not charged for his role in the
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 ...
presidency, owing largely due to his dismissal by parliamentary vote shortly before Yanukovych fled to
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
. Kozhara would then join the newly-established pro-Russian party “
Socialists
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the econ ...
”. However, on 25 March 2020 Kozhara was arrested by security forces on charges of
murdering
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...
advertising mogul Serhiy Starytsky on 21 February 2020, and on 23rd September 2022, the party “Socialists” was banned by Ukraine.
Early life and education
Kozhara was born in Poltava on 14 January 1963. He graduated from Kyiv State University in 1985 with a bachelor's degree in international law. In 1985 to 1990 he studied at the Higher Party School of the Central Committee of
Communist Party of Ukraine
The Communist Party of Ukraine, Abbreviation: KPU, from Ukrainian and Russian "" is a banned political party in Ukraine. It was founded in 1993 as the successor to the Soviet-era Communist Party of Ukraine which was banned in 1991 (accord ...
(today is part of the
Kyiv University
Kyiv University or Shevchenko University or officially the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv ( uk, Київський національний університет імені Тараса Шевченка), colloquially known as KNU ...
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 ...
from
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 U ...
. He worked in the parliamentary committee on foreign affairs. In March 2010 he was appointed among eleven others "supernumerary advisors" to
Ukrainian President
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, cond ...
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 D ...
. In 2011, Kozhara served as the first deputy of the Party of Regions. He was placed at number 9 on the electoral list of the party during the October
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 ...
, 24 December 2012. On 23 February 2014, just after the "
Maidan revolution
The Revolution of Dignity ( uk, Революція гідності, translit=Revoliutsiia hidnosti) also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution,
",Ukraine: Speaker Oleksandr Turchynov named interim president
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...
(23 February 2014) the Verkhovna Rada dismissed Foreign Minister Kozhara and Education Minister
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...
(23 February 2014)
Kozhara did not participate in the
2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election
Snap elections to the Verkhovna Rada took place on 26 October 2014.
Petro Poroshenko, the President of Ukraine, had pressed for early parliamentary elections since his victory in the presidential election in May.Socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...
. On 14 June 2022 the Eighth Administrative Court of Appeal banned this party. The property of the party and all its branches were transferred to the state. The party was banned because it was seen as a collaboratorwith Russia. The decision was open to an appeal at 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. On 23 September 2022 the final appeal against the party's ban was dismissed by the Supreme Court of Ukraine, meaning that the party was fully banned in Ukraine."SOCIALISTS" political party biography
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 ...
Role in Euromaidan
During Ukraine's
Euromaidan
Euromaidan (; uk, Євромайдан, translit=Yevromaidan, lit=Euro Square, ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhno ...
-protests and its political implications of December 2013, Kozhara warned foreign policymakers to not intervene with Ukraine's internal affairs. Kozhara stated according to
Kyiv Post
The ''Kyiv Post'' is the oldest English-language newspaper in Ukraine, founded in October 1995 by Jed Sunden.
History
American Jed Sunden founded the ''Kyiv Post'' weekly newspaper on Oct. 18, 1995 and later created KP Media for his holdings. ...
: "Ukraine is a sovereign state, and it should make decisions on its own. We do not allow interference in our internal affairs. Nobody is allowed to openly meddle in internal national processes that are taking place in the country today".
At the
Munich Security Conference
The Munich Security Conference (MSC; german: Münchner Sicherheitskonferenz) is an annual conference on international security policy that has been held in Munich, Bavaria, Germany since 1963. Former names are ''Wehrkundetagung'' and ''Münchner ...
on 1 February, Kozhara gave his opinion of
Dmytro Bulatov
Dmytro Serhiyovych Bulatov ( uk, Дмитро Сергійович Булатов; August 13, 1978 in Kyiv) is a Ukrainian civic activist who was the Minister of Youth and Sports during the first Yatsenyuk Government in 2014.
Bulatov was the l ...
, leader of " Automaidan," a group of drivers who have provided support for Euromaidan protesters. According to reports, Bulatov said he was abducted and tortured, and that he had been held for eight days.
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadc ...
reported that Bulatov appeared on TV with a gash on his face and part of his ear cut off and left the country to receive medical treatment. "'The only thing he has is a scratch on one of his cheeks,' Kozhara told broadcaster
al-Jazeera
Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
, 'It looks like the alleged story that he was kidnapped and tortured is not absolutely true.'"
Suspect in the 2020 murder of Serhiy Starytsky
On 25 March 2020 Kozhara was arrested by security forces on charges of
murdering
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification or valid excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person without justification or excuse, especially the c ...
advertising mogul Serhiy Starytsky on 21 February 2020.Former deputy FM Kozhara detained on murder suspicion - Deputy Interior Minister Gerashchenko
Interfax-Ukraine
The Interfax-Ukraine ( uk, Інтерфакс-Україна) is a Kyiv-based Ukrainian independent news agency founded in 1992. The company does not belong to the Russian news corporation Interfax Information Services. The company publishes i ...
According to media reports both were "in a state of heavy intoxication" at a party at Kozhara's house at the time of the alleged shooting. Kozhara and his wife claim that Starytsky had committed suicide, according to the Ukrainian prosecutorial office this was not true.
Starytsky is a former head of the Inter TV channel and was the general director of the Atlantic Group holding.Ukraine's ex-minister of foreign affairs detained on suspicion of murder (Photos)
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 ...
(25 March 2020) He was allegedly shot dead in the house of Kozhara and his wife, Maryna Kozerod, in village Chaiky (
Kyiv-Sviatoshyn Raion
Kyiv-Sviatoshyn Raion () was a raion (district) in Kyiv Oblast of Ukraine, adjacent to the city of Kyiv which served as the administrative center for the raion. The city of Kyiv itself did not belong to the raion. The raion was abolished on 18 J ...
), the suburb of
Kyiv
Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe.
Ky ...