Stefanchuk Ruslan Oleksiyovych – Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (2021 – present), First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (2019 – 2021), Representative of the President in the Verkhovna Rada (2019 – 2021).
Place of Birth, Education
He was born on October 29, 1975 in Ternopil.
He received secondary education at school No. 18 in Khmelnytskyi.
He also studied in:
- Khmelnytskyi Institute of Regional Administration and Law with a degree in Jurisprudence;
- Technological University of Podillya with a degree in “Management of the Production Sphere”;
After completing his studies at the Khmelnytskyi University of Management and Law, Stefanchuk began his career as an assistant at the Department of Civil Law Disciplines at the same university. Later, he continued his scientific activity, entering the postgraduate course of the V. M. Koretsky Institute of State and Law of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NAS of Ukraine).
Career
After graduating from graduate school in 2000, Stefanchuk continued to work at the Khmelnytskyi University of Management and Law, where he held the positions of senior lecturer, head of the department, associate professor and professor of the Department of Civil Law Disciplines. In the period from 2005 to 2011, he held the position of Vice-Rector for Scientific Work of the same university.
From 2011 to 2013, he worked as the head of the department for the development of national legislation at the Institute of Legislation of the Verkhovna Rada.
In the period from 2013 to 2014, Stefanchuk held the position of Head of the Department of Civil Law Disciplines at the National Academy of Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine, and from 2014 to 2016 he worked as Vice-Rector for Scientific Work of the same Academy.
In 2016, he moved to the position of Vice-Rector for Scientific Work of the Higher School of Advocacy, operating at the National Bar Association of Ukraine.
He participated in the work of the Scientific Advisory Council established at the High Specialized Court of Ukraine, which was engaged in the consideration of cases in the field of civil and criminal proceedings.
Political Activities
In 2019, Stefanchuk became the ideologist of Volodymyr Zelensky’s election headquarters during his participation in the presidential election. Acquaintance with Zelensky began in his student years thanks to the Club of the Cheerful and Quick-Witted (KVN).
On May 21, 2019, President Zelensky appointed Stefanchuk as his adviser. In particular, he was the representative of the head of state in the Verkhovna Rada.
In the parliamentary elections of the same year, Stefanchuk was elected a people’s deputy from the Servant of the People party, taking second place in the party list. On August 29, 2019, he was appointed First Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the IX convocation.
On October 7, 2021, Zelensky decided to dismiss Stefanchuk from the post of representative of the head of state in the Verkhovna Rada. The very next day, he was appointed chairman of the parliament.
