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Alexander PeklushenkoUkrainian politician and public figure
Date of Birth: 29.08.1954
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
- Biography of Oleksandr Peklushenko
- Political Career
- Zaporizhzhya Protests and Resignation
- Death and Investigation
- Education and Honors
- Legacy
Biography of Oleksandr Peklushenko
Early Life and CareerOleksandr Peklushenko was born in Ukraine and worked as a milling machine operator at the Zaporizhzhya Experimental Plant from 1969 to 1970. He served in the Soviet Armed Forces from 1974 to 1976 and later held positions as deputy director of the Nikolayevo-Podolsk Association and head of a catering facility in Zaporizhzhya.
Political Career
Peklushenko entered politics in 2002 as a member of the Ukrainian Parliament (Verkhovna Rada), representing the pro-President Leonid Kuchma bloc. He subsequently joined the Party of Regions and became deputy leader of their parliamentary faction. In 2011, he was appointed Chairman of the Zaporizhzhya Regional State Administration by President Viktor Yanukovych.
Zaporizhzhya Protests and Resignation
During the Euromaidan protests in Zaporizhzhya in 2014, Peklushenko initially refused to resign as governor, stating that he would "live and die" with his Party of Regions membership. However, he was forced to leave an administrative meeting on February 24 and eventually resigned on March 3, 2014.
Death and Investigation
On March 12, 2015, Peklushenko was found dead in the village of Solnechnoye, Ukraine. Law enforcement ruled his death a suicide by gunshot to the neck. His death was the third suicide of a prominent former Party of Regions politician in that period.
Education and Honors
Peklushenko graduated from the Zaporizhzhya branch of the Donetsk Institute of Soviet Trade in 1982 and from the Zaporizhzhya Institute of State and Municipal Management in 2002. He was awarded the Honorary Diploma of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the title of Honored Economist of Ukraine.
Legacy
Oleksandr Peklushenko's legacy remains controversial. He was a key figure in the violent dispersal of the Zaporizhzhya Euromaidan protest, but his role in the region's development and his untimely demise have also been subjects of debate.
