Hennadiy Adolfovych Kernes (27 June 1959 – 16 December 2020) was a Ukrainian politician who was the 5th mayor of Kharkiv from 24 November 2010 until his death on 16 December 2020.Kharkiv mayor Kernes dies

Ukrinform The National News Agency of Ukraine (), or Ukrinform (), is a state information and news agency, and international broadcaster of Ukraine. It was founded in 1918 during the Ukrainian War of IndependenceПомер Геннадій Кернес: мер Харкова, який виграв вибори з реанімації

BBC Ukrainian BBC News Ukrainian () is the Ukrainian service of BBC News which conveys the latest political, social, economical and sport news relevant to Ukraine and the world. It started broadcasts in 1992.Бі-Бі-Сі – зрозуміти світ, BBC ...

(17 December 2020) Previously, Kernes served as secretary of the

Kharkiv City Council Kharkiv City Council () is the city council for the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, and is elected every five years to run the city's local government. History Until 1870, members of the city council were elected according to the estate order, and ...

(2002, 2006 – 2010).

Early life

Kernes was born into a

Jewish family Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, to Adolf Lazarevych Kernes and Anna Abramovna in

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

.Kernes, Gennady Adolfovich

TASS The Russian News Agency TASS, or simply TASS, is a Russian state-owned news agency founded in 1904. It is the largest Russian news agency and one of the largest news agencies worldwide. TASS is registered as a Federal State Unitary Enterpri ...

(encyclopaedia) He graduated from the National University "Yaroslav the Wise Law Academy of Ukraine" with a degree in law and from

Kharkiv National University of Economics The Simon Kuznets Kharkiv National University of Economics () is the largest state-sponsored economic higher educational and research university in Eastern Ukraine. The university was established in 1912 and was named after American economist ...

with a degree in public administration. Kernes started his career in 1977 at the Kharkiv plant "Miner's Light". Between 1977 and 1979 Kernes studied in CTC-14 in Kharkiv and specialised in draftsman-designer on mechanics.Meet Hennadiy Kernes. He is the main contender for the mayor of Kharkiv by Arkady Schultz (''Аркадій Шульц''. Знайомтеся: Геннадій Адольфович. Ким є основний претендент на крісло мера Харкова)

The Ukrainian Week ''The Ukrainian Week'' (, ) is an illustrated weekly magazine and news outlet covering politics, economics and the arts and aimed at the socially engaged Ukrainian-language reader. It provides a range of analysis, opinion, interviews, feature p ...

, № 40 (153) (1 October 2010)

Business career

From 1979 to 1990, Kernes worked for a number of enterprises. According to his official biography, his career began in 1977. Kernes managed the production and trading company Acceptor from 1992 to 1994. He then became the chairman at CJSC NPK-Holding until 1999. Kernes was then first deputy director of the Kharkiv branch of the Trading House Gas of Ukraine until 2001. He then became CEO at NPK-Holding until 2006. Kernes had a criminal record for theft and fraud; according to him, the accusations were "partly fabricated" by "his enemies".

Political career

In 1998, Kernes was first elected into the

, and served three terms there. Between April and May 2002, Kernes was the secretary of Kharkiv City Council. In the City Council, he founded and led the nonpartisan deputy group "New Kharkiv - New Opportunities". Gennadiy Kernes

In November 2004, he supported the

Orange Revolution The Orange Revolution () was a series of protests that led to political upheaval in Ukraine from late November 2004 to January 2005. It gained momentum primarily due to the initiative of the general population, sparked by the aftermath of the ...

. He came out to condemn the actions taken by the regional governor

Yevhen Kushnaryov Yevhen Petrovych Kushnaryov (; 29 January 1951 – 17 January 2007) was a Ukrainian politician. Kushnaryov was considered one of the chief ideologues of the Party of Regions and a key ally of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych. Early life Yevhen ...

. In 2006, he was elected to the Kharkiv City Council on the list of the

Party of Regions A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...

, as a member of the party. In April 2006 Kernes became the secretary of Kharkiv City Council. Prior to

Mykhailo Dobkin Mykhailo Markovych Dobkin (born 26 January 1970) is a Ukrainian politician, former governor of Kharkiv Oblast, former mayor of Kharkiv,acting mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

of Kharkiv (March 2010 – 24 November 2010). In 2010, he had his candidacy nominated for the

in the

2010 Ukrainian local elections The 2010 Ukrainian local elections took place on 31 October 2010,

as mayor of Kharkiv. In October, Kernes was elected as the mayor of Kharkiv by a small, controversial margin.Keys to cities. What is the secret of longevity of mayors

(10 August 2020) On 24 November 2010, he took the oath and entered the post in early December 2010. In January 2014, Kernes awarded himself a 25% pay raise. Kernes was noted for holding a strongly 'pro-

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

n' stance and for being a supporter of then-

President of Ukraine The president of Ukraine (, ) is the head of state of Ukraine. The president represents the nation in international relations, administers the foreign political activity of the state, conducts negotiations and concludes international treaties. ...

Viktor Yanukovych Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych (born 9 July 1950) is a Ukrainian politician who served as the fourth president of Ukraine from 2010 to 2014. He also served as the prime minister of Ukraine several times between 2002 and 2007 and was a member of t ...

. During the anti-Yanukovych

Euromaidan Euromaidan ( ; , , ), or the Maidan Uprising, was a wave of Political demonstration, demonstrations and civil unrest in Ukraine, which began on 21 November 2013 with large protests in Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv. The p ...

protests in late 2013 and early 2014, he was accused of organizing

anti-Maidan The anti-Maidan (; ) refers to a number of pro-Russian demonstrations in Ukraine in 2013 and 2014 that were directed against Euromaidan and later the new Ukrainian government. The initial participants were in favor of supporting the cabinet of ...

demonstrations, as well as hiring

titushky The Titushky (plural; ; ; ; ) were mercenary agents in Ukraine who supported the Ukrainian security services during the administration of Viktor Yanukovych, often posing as street hooligans in sports clothing with the purpose of serving as provoca ...

(thugs that allegedly provoked and attacked Euromaidan supporters). Following the

Revolution of Dignity The Revolution of Dignity (), also known as the Maidan Revolution or the Ukrainian Revolution, took place in Ukraine in February 2014 at the end of the Euromaidan protests, when deadly clashes between protesters and state forces in the capit ...

, after he and the governor of Kharkiv Oblast, Mykhailo Dobkin, had briefly found refuge in

,"Hennadiy Kernes - Full Biography"
/ref> Kernes was accused of alleged connections to death threats, kidnapping and torturing of participants of

in Kharkiv and was subsequently placed under night-time house arrest. This criminal case against him was dropped on 30 July 2014 "due to the serious illness of the suspect". He was accused, in February 2014, by the post-revolutionary leadership of promoting

separatism Separatism is the advocacy of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, regional, governmental, or gender separation from the larger group. As with secession, separatism conventionally refers to full political separation. Groups simply seekin ...

. However, since then he was believed to have softened this position,Mayor of Ukraine's Second-largest City Shot
UNN pivoting to support an undivided Ukraine in line with Kyiv. In March 2014 he stated that he had been a "prisoner of Yanukovych's system" and that he expected "good things to come" from the new Yatsenyuk Government.

Attempted assassination and re-election

On 28 April 2014, Kernes was shot once in the back while hiking by an unknown assailant using a sniper rifle. Although the wound was life-threatening, doctors performed emergency surgery and were able to stabilize him. The following day Kernes was flown to

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

for further treatment. According to a report by

Televiziyna Sluzhba Novyn The TSN () or Television News Service (Телевізійна служба новин, ) is a Ukrainian daily news program of the 1+1 (TV channel), 1+1 TV channel produced by 1+1 Media Group, broadcast from a television studio at the channel's h ...

on 10 May 2014, he was "making a quick recovery"; in the accompanying interview he stated, "I'm in favor of Kharkiv remaining part of Ukraine, and therefore in favor of seeing her flourish". While recovering in Israel, Kernes stated on 11 June 2014 his willingness to cooperate with newly inaugurated Ukrainian President

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiiovych Poroshenko (born 26 September 1965) is a Ukraine, Ukrainian politician and Oligarchy, oligarch who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ukraine), Minister ...

. On 12 August 2014, he stated "Please remember these people -Kharkiv was, is, and will be part of a single and indivisible Ukraine". Kernes commented on the

2014 Russian annexation of Crimea In February and March 2014, Russia invaded the Crimean Peninsula, part of Ukraine, and then annexed it. This took place in the relative power vacuum immediately following the Revolution of Dignity. It marked the beginning of the Russo-Ukrain ...

on 23 August 2014, saying "Crimea will return to Ukraine, I believe in it". Kernes returned to Kharkiv on 17 June 2014. Following the incident, he used a

wheelchair A wheelchair is a mobilized form of chair using two or more wheels, a footrest, and an armrest usually cushioned. It is used when walking is difficult or impossible to do due to illnesses, injury, disabilities, or age-related health conditio ...

. In the October 2015 Kharkiv mayoral election, Kernes was re-elected as a candidate of Revival in the first round of the election with 65.8% of the votes, with a voter turnout of 44.4%. He took office on November 18, 2015. After his re-election, Kernes took a position loyal to the new Kyiv government: he made loud statements, but did not take any measures to protect Soviet monuments. In December 2018, Kernes said that in the

2019 Ukrainian presidential election Presidential elections were held in Ukraine on 31 March 2019. As none of the 39 candidates on the ballot received an absolute majority of the initial vote, a runoff was held on 21 April between the top two vote-getters: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a t ...

s he would vote for

, as he had made “quite a lot of effort” to finance and develop Kharkiv. Hennadiy Kernes 2020

On June 2, 2019, the founding congress of the new party Trust in Deeds took place in Kharkiv, the two co-chairs of which were chosen as the city heads of Kharkiv and

Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...

, Hennadiy Kernes and

Gennadiy Trukhanov Gennadiy Leonidovich Trukhanov (born 17 January 1965) is a Ukrainian politician. He is the mayor of Odesa since 2014. Since 2022, he has focused on constructing fortifications, prioritizing budget policies to support the Armed Forces of Ukrain ...

. In the July

2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Ukraine on 21 July 2019. Originally scheduled to be held at the end of October, the elections were brought forward after newly inaugurated President of Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dissolved parli ...

, Kernes was placed in the top ten of the party list of

Opposition Bloc The Opposition Bloc (, ) was a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine that was founded in 2014 by the merger of six parties that did not endorse Euromaidan. Legally, the party was created by renaming the lesser-known party "Leading Force".

. However, the nationwide list of this party won just 3.23% of the votes, failing to overcome the 5% election barrier and keeping Kernes from a seat in the Verkhovna Rada. In June 2020, Kernes announced that he had been nominated for re-election as Kharkiv mayor under the banner of his new political party, Kernes Bloc — Successful Kharkiv in the October 2020 Kharkiv mayoral election.The first donors appeared in the Kernes Bloc - Successful Kharkiv party (Updated)

Civil movement "Chesno" Chesno () is a Ukrainian public campaign that emerged late 2011 to advance a fair election process. It is widely known for its critical analysis and evaluation of politicians and the Verkhovna Rada (parliament) in Ukraine. The organization provi ...

(24 June 2020)

Death

Kernes last public appearance was on Kharkiv City Day on 23 August 2020. On 15 September, the

officially denied reports that he had gone into a coma after becoming infected with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

during the

COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

.Kharkiv City Council denies reports on mayor's COVID-19 coma

UNIAN The Ukrainian Independent Information Agency of News () is a Kyiv-based Ukraine, Ukrainian news agency. It produces and provides political, business and financial information, and a photo reporting service. As of October 2022, it was the most v ...

(15 September 2020) It was confirmed that he was on sick leave. On 17 September 2020, Kernes was hospitalized in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

university hospital A teaching hospital or university hospital is a hospital or medical center that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities a ...

Charité The Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Charité – Berlin University of Medicine; ) is Europe's List of hospitals by capacity, largest university hospital, affiliated with Humboldt University of Berlin, Humboldt University and the Free ...

, to be treated for his COVID-19 infection.Kharkiv, the votes in the mayoral election were counted: who wins and whether there will be a second round

(4 November 2020) He did not appear in public afterwards.Kernes was re-elected mayor of Kharkiv - a voter

Ukrayinska Pravda ''Ukrainska Pravda'' is a Ukrainian socio-political online media outlet founded by Heorhii Gongadze in April 2000. After Gongadze’s death in September 2000, the editorial team was led by co-founder Olena Prytula, who remained the editor-in ...

(4 November 2020) Funeral of Hennadiy Kernes by Sergiy Bobok - 01

Kernes won the 25 October 2020 Kharkiv mayoral election with 60.34% of the votes. At the time of his election, his party stated that Kernes would shortly return to Kharkiv to fulfil his duties as Mayor. On 9 December 2020, Kernes was sworn in as Kharkiv Mayor without being present at the first session of the new

.Kernes had kidney failure

(11 December 2020) Two days later, it was confirmed that Kernes had experienced

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as renal failure or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney fa ...

. Despite this, the public relations department of the Kharkiv City Council stated that he would "be able to perform his duties." On 17 December 2020, the

and Kernes' friend Pavel Fuks confirmed that Kernes had died in Berlin of complications from COVID-19. On this day, it was also announced that, due to Kernes' death, a three-day mourning would be held in Kharkiv, with all entertainment and concert events and sports competitions being cancelled, but this was scaled back to one day on 18 December 2020.Life in Kharkiv after the mayor's death

(18 December 2020) Kernes was buried on 23 December 2020 at , where famous Kharkiv residents are traditionally buried. His funeral ceremony was held at Kharkiv's Annunciation Cathedral in a service that was led by the

primate Primates is an order (biology), order of mammals, which is further divided into the Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and Lorisidae, lorisids; and the Haplorhini, haplorhines, which include Tarsiiformes, tarsiers a ...

of the

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), commonly referred to by the exonym Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), is an Eastern Orthodox church in Ukraine. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church was officially formed in 1990 in pla ...

Metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: Areas and governance (secular and ecclesiastical) * Metropolitan archdiocese, the jurisdiction of a metropolitan archbishop ** Metropolitan bishop or archbishop, leader of an ecclesiastical "mother see" * Metropolitan ar ...

Onufriy.Kharkiv say goodbye to Kernes: 400 policemen of protection, and Onufriy buried him

(23 December 2020)
Hennadiy Kernes was buried (photo, video)
SQ (23 December 2020)

Personal life

Kernes' first wife was Oksana Vasilenko; the couple divorced in 1985.Oksana Haysinskaya and Hennadiy Kernes
Комментарии:, 2 March 2012. His second wife was Oksana (née Haysinskaya). Kernes was a father of three children, including his stepson, Haysinskaya's son from her previous marriage. In January 2003 Haysinskaya appealed to the police department alleging that Kernes had injured her. Subsequently, Kharkiv billboards appeared with the message "Oksana, I'm sorry!". Kernes owned 27 dogs, assorted birds, and other animals and since 2007 had lived in a Kharkiv hotel.
''The New York Times'', 28 April 2014. His

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

account was described by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' as "eccentric"; Kernes claimed "Of all the mayors, my Instagram account is the best". He was known for actively promoting healthier living. Since they met in 1998, Kernes was a close friend of

Mykhailo Dobkin Mykhailo Markovych Dobkin (born 26 January 1970) is a Ukrainian politician, former governor of Kharkiv Oblast, former mayor of Kharkiv,Kharkiv Oblast Kharkiv Oblast (, ), also referred to as Kharkivshchyna (), is an oblast (province) in eastern Ukraine. Kharkiv borders Luhansk Oblast to the east, Donetsk Oblast to the southeast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the southwest, Poltava Oblast to the w ...

from 2010 to 2014, mayor of Kharkiv from 2006 to 2010, past member of the

Verkhovna Rada The Verkhovna Rada ( ; VR), officially the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is the unicameralism, unicameral parliament of Ukraine. It consists of 450 Deputy (legislator), deputies presided over by a speaker. The Verkhovna Rada meets in the Verkhovn ...

(Ukraine's parliament) and the

candidate in the

2014 Ukrainian presidential election Snap presidential elections were held in Ukraine on 25 May 2014 and resulted in Petro Poroshenko being elected President of Ukraine. Originally scheduled to take place on 29 March 2015, the date was brought forward following the 2014 Ukrainian ...

. A video (containing swearing) leaked in 2007 of Kernes instructing Dobkin is famous in Ukraine and has created a few national catchphrases. In line with new anti-

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

rules, which compel all senior public officials to declare their wealth in an electronic database, Kernes declared in October 2016 that he owned more than $1.6m in

hard currency In macroeconomics, hard currency, safe-haven currency, or strong currency is any globally traded currency that serves as a reliable and stable store of value. Factors contributing to a currency's ''hard'' status might include the stability and ...

Awards

* The

Order of Merit The Order of Merit () is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by Edward VII, admission into the order r ...

third class (5 July 2012) – ''For the significant personal contribution to the preparation and conduct of the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship final in Ukraine, successful implementation of infrastructural projects, law and order and public safety guarantee during the tournament, improvement of international Ukraine authority, high professionalism'' * The Kharkiv regional state administration certificate * The Badge of Honor 'Slobozhyanskaya Slava', "For diligence to 350 years of Kharkiv foundation" * The Medal '60th anniversary of the Battle of Kursk' * The Medal 'For active participation in the veteran's movement' * The XVII annual award 'Person of the Year 2012' in the category of 'City Head of the Year'

Notes

References

External links

Official website

Kernes bio on Liga.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kernes, Hennadiy 1959 births 2020 deaths Politicians from Kharkiv Mayors of Kharkiv Jewish mayors Jewish Ukrainian politicians Party of Regions politicians Revival (Ukraine) politicians Pro-government people of the Euromaidan People of the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine Ukrainian shooting survivors Prisoners and detainees of Ukraine Ukrainian prisoners and detainees Soviet Jews Ukrainian politicians with disabilities Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany Laureates of the Honorary Diploma of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Recipients of the Honorary Diploma of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Ukrainian wheelchair users Soviet people with disabilities