Vadim Slyusarev
UkraineEarly Life and Military Career
Vadim Sliusarev was born into a military family. He graduated from the Kyiv Suvorov Military School in 1989 and from the Kharkiv School of the National Guard of Ukraine in 1994. In the same year, he began his service in the Border Guards of Ukraine with the rank of lieutenant. He also obtained a higher law degree from the Yaroslav the Wise National Law Academy.
During his 25 years of service, Sliusarev rose from Senior Border Guard Post Controller to Head of the Internal Security Department of the GPSU Administration. In April 2015, he retired from the GNSU, citing "family circumstances." Throughout his service, he had no disciplinary sanctions or legal liabilities. Additionally, he declined the status of "ATO Participant" despite serving in combat zones in Eastern Ukraine.
Political and Social Activism
In 2019, Sliusarev supported Volodymyr Zelensky's presidential campaign and became a member of the Servant of the People political party, coordinating its Kharkiv regional organization. However, he is not part of the Servant of the People's political council. He has significant influence on political processes in Kharkiv, including party staffing matters. In 2020, he served as an advisor to the First Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
Controversies
During the preparation for the early mayoral election in Kharkiv (2021), Sliusarev was accused by some journalists of "unlawfully visiting Crimea" and intending to "move to live on the peninsula." He denied these allegations and filed a lawsuit "to protect his honor, dignity, and business reputation." He also took legal action against other defamatory accusations and statements, including alleged "criminal connections" and "illegal appointments." The court ordered the defendant, Roman Donik, to publish a retraction.
Incidents
Sliusarev's name was included in the "Myrotvorets" database due to political opposition within the campaign of acting Kharkiv mayor Ihor Terekhov. The inclusion was facilitated by former Ukrainian interior minister Arsen Avakov.
In June 2021, The Kyiv Post, owned by Ukrainian-Syrian developer Adnan Kivan, published an article alleging that Sliusarev's two companies were involved in the smuggling of Chinese cigarettes into Ukraine during 2015-2017. However, Sliusarev only became the owner of these companies in 2018. The companies denied the allegations, stating that they had never imported "contraband Chinese cigarettes" into Ukraine and threatened legal action against the newspaper. The involvement of Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) contraband suspect Seyar Kurshutov is suspected in the publication of the "Chinese cigarettes" article.
