Iryna Volodymyrivna Herashchenko (Ukrainian: Ірина Володимирівна Геращенко) is a Ukrainian journalist and politician currently serving as a People's Deputy of Ukraine from European Solidarity. She is a Merited Journalist of Ukraine since 2000.[4] Former First Deputy Chairwoman of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament),[5] also serving as President's Humanitarian Envoy at the Minsk peace talks regarding the war in Donbas.
Iryna Herashchenko | |
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Ірина Геращенко | |
First Deputy Chairwoman of the Verkhovna Rada | |
In office 14 April 2016 – 29 August 2019 | |
Preceded by | Andriy Parubiy |
Succeeded by | Ruslan Stefanchuk |
Chairman of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada on European integration | |
In office 4 December 2014 – 14 April 2016 | |
Preceded by | Hryhoriy Nemyria |
People's Deputy of Ukraine | |
Assumed office 29 August 2019 | |
Constituency |
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Personal details | |
Born | Cherkasy, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine) | 15 May 1971
Political party | European Solidarity (2014-present) |
Other political affiliations |
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Born on 15 May 1971 in Cherkasy, Herashchenko graduated from the Kyiv University Department of Journalism in 1993.[4]
Herashchenko worked as a journalist for Inter and then as a presidential press secretary in 2005–06 for Viktor Yushchenko.[4] From 2006 to 2007, she was president of Ihor Kolomoyskyi's 1+1 Media Group and UNIAN, a news service and TV channel.[4]
In November 2007, she entered the Verkhovna Rada for the first time as a member of the Our Ukraine–People's Self-Defense Bloc. In the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election, she joined the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform of Vitali Klitschko and won re-election.[4]
In June 2014, amidst the war in Donbas, Herashchenko was appointed President Petro Poroshenko's envoy for his Peace plan for Eastern Ukraine.[6] In the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, she was re-elected into the Verkhovna Rada after being in the top 10 of the electoral list of European Solidarity.[7][8] There, she became Chairman of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada on issues of European integration.[9]
On 14 April 2016, Herashchenko was elected First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada.[5] As First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, she was among 322 Ukrainian citizens placed under sanctions by Russia in November 2018.[10]
In the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Herashchenko was placed third on the party list of European Solidarity, and was re-elected.[11][12]
Herashchenko is married and has two daughters and a son.[4]
According to an electronic declaration, in 2019, Herashchenko received ₴1,210,875 (US$44,847) as salary and reimbursement of expenses as deputy of the Verkhovna Rada. On her bank accounts, Iryna Herashchenko had ₴98,333. She also declared US$32,500, €6100, and ₴135,000 in cash.[13]
Additionally, Iryna Herashchenko had a collection of paintings, as well as valuable jewellery, including Chopard and Piaget. Her husband has declared ₴4,028,356 of income (US$149,198) and 2 apartments (total area of 180 m2). Herashchenko also declared a 2013 Ford Explorer car and a 2015 LEXUS RX200T car.[13]