Oleksiy Miacheslavovych Danilov (; born 7 September 1962) is a Ukrainian politician who was the secretary of the

National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, ( NSDCU; , ''RNBOU'') or RNBO, is the coordinating state body of the executive power under the President of Ukraine on issues of national security and defense. It is a state agency tasked wi ...

from 2019 to 2024, when he was replaced by Oleksandr Lytvynenko, the former head of the Foreign Intelligence Service.

Early life and early career

Danilov graduated in 1981 from the

Starobilsk Starobilsk (; ) is a city in Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Starobilsk Raion. The modern settlement was founded in 1686, and it was granted city status in 1938. The city has a population of As a result of the ...

State Farm Technical School with a degree in veterinary medicine. In 1981 he began working as a veterinary in a farm in

Voroshilovgrad Luhansk (, ; , ), also known as Lugansk (, ; , ), is a city in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. As of 2022, the population was estimated to be making Luhansk the Cities in Ukraine, 12th-largest city in Ukraine. Luhansk served as the administra ...

(currently Luhansk). From 1983 to 1987, he worked as a veterinarian in Voroshilovgrad's park "1 May". From 1987 to 1991 he worked as a private veterinarian. From 1991 to 1994 he was engaged in private entrepreneurship.

Political career

Danilov was Mayor of

Luhansk Luhansk (, ; , ), also known as Lugansk (, ; , ), is a city in the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. As of 2022, the population was estimated to be making Luhansk the Cities in Ukraine, 12th-largest city in Ukraine. Luhansk served as the administra ...

from 1994 to 1997. Aged 31 years, he was the youngest ever mayor of Luhansk. In the 1998 Ukrainian parliamentary election Danilov unsuccessfully ran for a parliamentary seat in electoral district 103 as an independent candidate. In 1999, Danilov graduated from the University of Luhansk as a licensed history teacher. In 2000, he received a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

management Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a Government agency, government bodies through business administration, Nonprofit studies, nonprofit management, or the political s ...

from the East Ukrainian Volodymyr Dahl National University. In 2000, he also received a

law degree A law degree is an academic degree conferred for studies in law. Some law degrees are professional degrees that are prerequisites or serve as preparation for legal careers. These generally include the Bachelor of Civil Law, Bachelor of Laws, an ...

from the Luhansk State University of Internal Affairs. In the early 2000s, Danilov was a member of the Yabluko party (which was renamed Party of Free Democrats during his membership). In the 2002 Ukrainian parliamentary election he ran unsuccessfully for parliament on the party list. In 2000, Danilov was an adviser to the parliamentary Committee on Industrial Policy and Entrepreneurship. From October 2001 to February 2005, he founded the Luhansk Initiative and was its chairman. At the same time, he was as deputy director of the Institute for European Integration and Development (IEID). Danilov served as the

Governor of Luhansk Oblast The governor of Luhansk Oblast is the Chief of local state administration, head of the executive branch for the Luhansk Oblast. Due to the current Russo-Ukrainian War, the administration has been assigned as a Civil–military administrations (Uk ...

in 2005. Danilov was elected to 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 ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

for the

Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc The Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc () was the name of the bloc of political parties in Ukraine led by Yulia Tymoshenko since 2001. In November 2011, the participation of blocs of political parties in parliamentary elections was banned.

. In the

2007 Ukrainian parliamentary election Early parliamentary elections were held in Ukraine on 30 September 2007. The election date was determined following agreement between the President Viktor Yushchenko, the Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych and the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (Uk ...

Danilov ran for re-election to parliament for the Party of Free Democrats, but was again unsuccessful. After leaving parliament he returned to his previous position of deputy director of the IEID. Danilov rose to national prominence on the strength of appearances "on Ukraine's highly-rated national prime time talk show, where he takes on the country's oligarchs, illegal privatizations, the machinations of Russia's fifth column in Ukraine, and "treasonous" votes in past parliaments." Danilov was Deputy Secretary of the

National Security and Defense Council The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, ( NSDCU; , ''RNBOU'') or RNBO, is the coordinating state body of the executive power under the President of Ukraine on issues of national security and defense. It is a state agency tasked wi ...

from 23 July to 3 October 2019. Since 3 October 2019 he is the Secretary (deputy Chairman, President

Volodymyr Zelensky Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...

is the formal chairman) of this board. On 24 January 2022, Danilov said that the movement of Russian troops near Ukraine's border was "not news" and "we don't see any grounds for statements about a full-scale offensive on our country". During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Danilov urged men eligible for mobilisation to not "hide behind a woman's skirt". After the 2022 Crimean Bridge explosion Danilov posted a video of the burning bridge alongside a black-and-white clip of Marilyn Monroe singing "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" – a reference to Putin turning 70 the same day. On 6 April 2023, Danilov stated about a possible peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, which would freeze the conflict and leave the annexed territories of Ukraine, including

Crimea Crimea ( ) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukrain ...

, in Russia's possession, that "If Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky proposes peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow, he will commit political suicide." On 15 March 2024, Danilov was interviewed by Francis Dearnley from

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was found ...

. In the interview he was asked multiple questions on the current situation of the war. On the topic of western aid to Ukraine, he said that Western aid needs to be on time and: "If we had a sufficient number,

Avdiivka Avdiivka (, ; , ) is a city in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. The city is located in the centre of the oblast, just north of the regional centre, Donetsk. The large Avdiivka Coke Plant is located in Avdiivka. The city had a population of before th ...

would not be an issue". He also stated that Putin is "Hitler's siamese twin" and that Putin's objective in the war is to exterminate the Ukrainian people and restore the Soviet Union. He then said in a response to a question about NATO troop deployments to Ukraine: "We don't need your soldiers, we need help with weapons. If such assistance is provided, then we are ready to put an end to the issue of Russia once and for all. To finally remove their poisonous teeth so that they will not bite anyone else in the world." He had been appointed as the next Ukrainian ambassador to Moldova on 29 March 2024, but this did not happen, with Paun Rohovei being officially appointed by decree on 7 February 2025 instead.

Political views

In October 2021, Danilov said that he believed that it would be better for Ukraine to be a

presidential republic A presidential, strong-president, or single-executive system (sometimes also congressional system) is a form of government in which a head of government (usually titled " president") heads an executive branch that derives its authority and l ...

than a parliamentary-presidential one. Danilov argued that it would only be "possible to make a leap forward" with a "responsible person who understands what they are going for."

Family

Danilov is married to Lyudmyla Volodymyrovna Danilova (Peregudova). The couple have four children and seven grandchildren. His granddaughter Mariya (known as Masha Danilova) is a singer.

References

External links