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Igor ZhdanovUkrainian politician, Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine since December 2, 2014
Date of Birth: 29.12.1967
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
- Igor Zhdanov: Ukrainian Minister of Youth and Sports
- Early Life and Education
- Political Career
- Euromaidan and Conflict in Eastern Ukraine
- Ministerial Appointment
- Controversies and Scandals
- Personal Life
- State Awards
Igor Zhdanov: Ukrainian Minister of Youth and Sports
Igor Zhdanov is a Ukrainian politician who has served as the Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine since December 2, 2014.
Early Life and Education
Zhdanov was born on August 25, 1968, in Zhitomir, Ukraine. After serving in the military, he graduated from the history department of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv in 1992. He went on to complete postgraduate studies in law at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv in 1994 and attended courses at Thames Valley University in the United Kingdom in 1996.
Political Career
Zhdanov's political career began in 1993 as a freelance consultant to the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on Youth, Sports, and Tourism. In 1994, he represented presidential candidate Leonid Kuchma in the Central Election Commission. He subsequently worked in the legal department of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine and as an assistant to the President of Ukraine. In 1995, he resigned in protest against the policies of the Head of Administration, Dmytro Tabachnyk.
From 1997 to 1999, Zhdanov served as an assistant to the Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksandr Razumkov. He was a freelance consultant to the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on Combating Organized Crime and Corruption from 2002. In 2004, he was the lead analyst for the election campaign of presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko.
Zhdanov became the First Deputy Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the People's Union "Our Ukraine" from 2005 to 2007. He resigned from the party in 2008 in protest against Yushchenko's policies. In May 2008, he became the President of the Open Policy Analytical Center.
Euromaidan and Conflict in Eastern Ukraine
Zhdanov was an active participant in the Euromaidan protests in 2012, serving as Commandant of Euromaidan and a member of the "Maidan Council". Subsequently, he volunteered in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Ministerial Appointment
Following the victory of Euromaidan, Zhdanov ran for the post of First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine. In 2014, he led the election campaign of presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko. He was elected as a Member of the Ukrainian Parliament for the "Batkivshchyna" party in the 2014 parliamentary elections.
On December 2, 2014, Zhdanov was appointed Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine in the coalition government formed by the "Petro Poroshenko Bloc", "People's Front", "Self-Help", "Radical Party of Oleh Lyashko", and "Batkivshchyna" parties.
Controversies and Scandals
In 2018, Zhdanov announced that Ukraine would not send athletes to the 2019 Universiade in Russia and threatened to take action against athletes who participated under a neutral flag. He also failed to disclose ownership of a 229.8 square meter house in his 2013 income declaration.
Personal Life
Zhdanov is married and has a son and a daughter. His interests include history, science fiction, football, table tennis, and chess.
