Alexander Yaroslavskiy Owner of Kharkiv "Metalist" Date of Birth: 05.12.1959 Country: Ukraine

1. Early Life and Education
2. Military and Law Enforcement Career
3. Business Career in the 1990s
4. Establishment of DCH Group
5. International Recognition and Humanitarian Efforts
6. Conflict with Kharkiv Mayor and Sanctions
7. Recent Developments
8. Family and Personal Life

Early Life and Education

Alexander Yaroslavsky was born on December 5, 1959, in the city of Zhdanov (now Mariupol) in Ukraine. His parents were both doctors, and he was the eldest of their two sons. In 1976, the family moved to Kharkiv, where Yaroslavsky attended secondary school with excellent grades. He initially studied mechanical engineering at Kharkiv Aviation Institute while simultaneously working as a locksmith. However, he later graduated from Kharkiv Academy of Social Nutrition as a food technologist, receiving a single grade below A in his five years of study. He also earned a fifth-grade certification as a chef and a positive character reference.

Military and Law Enforcement Career

After graduating, Yaroslavsky served for three years in the Soviet Army in Hungary, where he attained the rank of senior sergeant. Upon his discharge, he studied law at the Ministry of Internal Affairs courses and briefly worked as an inspector for the Kharkiv police's Department to Combat Economic Crimes.

Business Career in the 1990s

In 1990, Yaroslavsky completed a postgraduate program at the Odessa Technological Institute and earned a doctorate in technical sciences. He worked for the Kharkiv Institute of Social Nutrition from 1990 to 1991. In 1992, he embarked on his entrepreneurial journey, spending four years in Moscow. According to Forbes, Yaroslavsky used profits from oil trading to invest in significant assets during the mid-1990s. He collaborated with Vladimir Salygin, who later became chairman of the Kharkiv Regional Council and a member of the Verkhovna Rada, to acquire vouchers from the population and exchange them for shares in privatized factories.

Establishment of DCH Group

Yaroslavsky held the position of vice-president of JSC "Gea" until 1996, when he became vice-president of the Ukrainian representation of Triverton International. In 1998, he assumed the role of president and majority shareholder of JSCIB UKRSIB Group (UkrSibbank). In 2006, he transferred control of UkrSibbank to BNP Paribas and focused on consolidating his assets under a single legal entity, DCH Group.

DCH Group is a prominent business conglomerate in Ukraine with interests in financial institutions, industrial facilities, mining companies (such as Ukrainian Mining Company), development companies, and luxury real estate projects (including the prestigious residential complex "Voznesenka" in Kyiv). Yaroslavsky has been particularly committed to protecting the investments of his foreign partners, including BNP Paribas, Citigroup, and Apollo. These entities, along with DCH, hold ownership interests in the chain of shopping and entertainment centers called "Karavan."

International Recognition and Humanitarian Efforts

Yaroslavsky's acquisition of UkrSibbank for $20,000 in the 1990s is widely recognized as a remarkable business success. By 2005, he had transformed it into one of Ukraine's top five banks by asset size. According to investment analysts, Yaroslavsky received at least $650 million when he sold his stake to BNP Paribas in two stages.

Yaroslavsky has played a significant role in the reconstruction of Kharkiv Airport, contributing to both the government-funded airfield renovation and the construction of a new terminal, which became the only private terminal in Ukraine. The opening of the new terminal took place on August 28, 2010.

Conflict with Kharkiv Mayor and Sanctions

Yaroslavsky experienced a long-standing conflict with Kharkiv Mayor Gennady Kernes from 2012 to 2020. In 2016, he reacquired a controlling stake in the Kharkiv Tractor Plant (XTZ), which he had sold to Russian businessman Oleg Deripaska in 2007. In 2017-18, he purchased the Dnieper Metallurgical Plant and the Suha Balka mine from Russian entrepreneur Roman Abramovich. On November 1, 2018, Yaroslavsky was among 322 Ukrainian citizens sanctioned by Russia.

Recent Developments

In late July 2020, the National Bank of Ukraine approved Yaroslavsky's acquisition of Credit Dnipro Bank, which was previously owned by Viktor Pinchuk. Following the start of the Russian special operation, Yaroslavsky left Ukraine.

Family and Personal Life

Yaroslavsky has been married three times and has five children. His current wife, Marina Sventsitska, was the winner of the rating of the most beautiful wives of Ukrainian millionaires in 2015. His first wife, Irina, is the daughter of former Kharkiv Governor Alexander Maselsky. His second wife was reportedly a distant relative of Leonid Kuchma's wife. His brother, Alexei Yaroslavsky, was a member of the Verkhovna Rada for the "Our Ukraine" bloc led by Viktor Yushchenko.