Andriy Leonidovich Derkach – People’s Deputy of Ukraine of the III-IX convocations.
Place of Birth, Education
He was born on August 19, 1967 in Dnipro (formerly Dnipropetrovsk).
In 1989, he completed his studies at the Kharkiv Higher Military Command and Engineering School of Missile Forces named after Marshal Krylov. In the period from 1990 to 1993, he was educated at the Higher School of the Dzerzhinsky State Security Committee in Moscow.
His father, Leonid Derkach, served as head of the State Customs Service of Ukraine from 1995 to 1998, and headed the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) from 1998 to 2001. In the past, he headed the department of the State Security Committee at the Dnipropetrovsk military enterprise “Yuzhmash”, where one of the leaders was the future President Leonid Kuchma.
Career
Since 1989, he served as a crew chief at the technical missile base of the Pervomaisk Division of the Strategic Missile Forces.
In 1993, he began working in the Department of the Security Service of Ukraine in the Dnipropetrovsk region as an operative.
Later, he held the position of deputy director of the association “Naddniprianshchyna”, which was engaged in the organization of cooperation between enterprises that were part of a single production cycle.
Political Activities
In 1994 – 1996 he held the position of Deputy Head of the Control Service under the President of Ukraine, and from 1996 to 1997 he worked as a consultant to the head of state Kuchma on foreign economic activity.
In 1997-1998, he was the first assistant to the Prime Minister of Ukraine Valeriy Pustovoitenko, and also headed a group of advisers and assistants to the head of government.
Since 1998, he has been elected a people’s deputy of Ukraine of several convocations – from III to VI.
In 2006-2007, combining parliamentary activities with senior positions, he first headed the National Nuclear Energy Generating Company Energoatom, and later headed the state concern Ukratomprom as CEO.
From December 2012 to November 2014, he served as a People’s Deputy of Ukraine of the VII convocation, running for the Party of Regions in the majoritarian constituency No. 159 of the Sumy region. He was a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Budget.
In 2011-2013, he headed a group of advisers to the Prime Minister of Ukraine on a voluntary basis.
On January 16, 2014, he supported the adoption of “dictatorial laws” – a package of regulations that significantly limited civil rights and freedom of speech.
From November 27, 2014 to August 2019, he was a People’s Deputy of Ukraine of the VIII convocation. He served as deputy chairman of the deputy group “People’s Will” and worked in the budget committee of the parliament. After the death of the head of the group, Igor Yeremeev, he acted as its chairman.
On January 26, 2016, Derkach submitted a letter of resignation from the deputy group “People’s Will”.
In 2019, he took part in the early elections to the Verkhovna Rada as an independent candidate in the majoritarian constituency No. 159 in the Sumy region. According to the results of the vote, he won in the constituency.
Criminal cases
On June 24, 2022, the SSU exposed an agent network of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Russian Federation, which, according to the investigation, included MP Derkach. He was charged with creating a network of private security companies in various areas that could be used to quickly establish control over the country.
On January 10, 2023, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the deprivation of Derkach of Ukrainian citizenship. On January 13 of the same year, the Verkhovna Rada decided to deprive him of his deputy mandate.
Business Wealth
His media assets included the Era TV and Radio Company, which for a long time shared airtime with the First National TV Channel, as well as the Era radio station and the Kyiv Telegraph newspaper. In addition, he served as president of the Telegraph information and publishing group.
In February 2008, the publication “Focus” estimated his fortune at $ 162 million, marking him in the 119th position in the ranking of the richest citizens of Ukraine at that time.
Sanctions
In 2020, the Treasury Department of the United States of America (USA) imposed sanctions against Derkach for attempting “Russian interference” in the US elections of the same year.
Marital Status
He is married to Oksana Terekhova.
The couple has three daughters and two sons: Tatiana, Ksenia, Kateryna, as well as Hrygriy and Mykhailo, respectively.
