Oleg Soskin Ukrainian politician, economist and political scientist Date of Birth: 30.04.1954 Country: Ukraine

1. Early Life and Education
2. Academic and Political Career
3. Role in Ukrainian Politics
4. Views and Controversies
5. Support for International Arbitration
6. Coverage of Russian Aggression

Early Life and Education

Oleg Igorevich Soskin was born in a working-class family in Kyiv, Ukraine. He attended Kyiv schools #50 and #154 from 1961 to 1971. After graduating high school, he worked as a mechanic in a factory and served in the Soviet Army.

From 1975 to 1980, Soskin studied at the Faculty of Economics at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. He then entered the postgraduate program at the university from 1980 to 1983. In 1984, he defended his dissertation on the role of the export sector in the reproduction process of developing countries.

Academic and Political Career

Soskin began teaching at the Faculty of Economics at Kyiv State University in 1983 and continued until 1988. During that time, he also held positions as a senior lecturer and associate professor in the Department of International Relations at the Institute of Political Science and Social Management from 1988 to 1990.

In 1990, Soskin became the executive director of the Ukrainian Institute of Market Relations - Center "Rynok." He then joined the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, where he served as Deputy Director of Science from 1993 to 1996. In 1994, he founded the Institute of Transformation of Society, which he directed. Soskin has authored over 350 scientific articles.

Role in Ukrainian Politics

Soskin's political career began in 1992 when he became a senior advisor on entrepreneurship and foreign economic activity to President Leonid Kravchuk. He also served as an advisor to the Prime Minister on macroeconomic issues. From October 1998 to February 2000, he returned to the office of the Ukrainian President (this time under Leonid Kuchma) as an advisor on economic issues.

Soskin was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 1975 to August 1991. From 1994 to 1995, he was a member and later president of the Liberal Party of Ukraine. In April 1996, he became the chairman of the Ukrainian National Conservative Party.

Views and Controversies

Soskin is a strong advocate for Ukraine's accession to NATO. He has established regional "Centers for Euro-Atlantic Integration" to promote this agenda and served as chairman of the Coordinating Council of the "Ukrainian-NATO Public League." In 2008, he was attacked with a shoe by a journalist from the Odessa TV channel "ATV" for his pro-NATO stance.

Soskin has been a vocal critic of Russia, calling it an "undeveloped and failed state" in 2008 and demanding immediate visa requirements. In 2009, he accused Ukraine of being a "parasitic nation" living in a state of "perpetual carnival." He later referred to Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and National Bank of Ukraine head Serhiy Stelmakh as criminals for their economic policies and predicted catastrophe under the premiership of Yulia Tymoshenko.

In 2011, Soskin claimed that "Muscovites" had stolen Ukraine's language, Orthodox faith, and even the name of its country. He argued that Russia should return to its Finno-Ugric and Turkic roots.

Soskin has also criticized the economic policies of Presidents Kravchuk and Kuchma, accusing them of systematic looting of the country. He has also expressed fears about the potential impact of the global financial crisis on Ukraine.

Support for International Arbitration

Soskin supported the decision of the International Court of Arbitration regarding the territorial dispute between Ukraine and Romania over Snake Island.

Coverage of Russian Aggression

Prior to the outbreak of armed conflict in Ukraine, Russian media outlets published sharply critical statements from Soskin's YouTube channel targeting Ukrainian leaders. Since the beginning of the war, his views have been widely disseminated by Russian media, including "Moskovskiy Komsomolets."