Raisa Vasylivna Bohatyriova (; ; born January 6, 1953) is a Ukrainian politician and former

Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine First Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine is a government post of the Cabinet of Ukraine. In the absence of the prime minister of Ukraine, the first vice prime minister performs his or her duties as the acting prime minister. In 1991, the post was ...

and

Minister of Health A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare spending and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental heal ...

Bohatyriova appointed vice premier and health minister

Kyiv Post The ''Kyiv Post'' is Ukraine’s first and most prominent English-language newspaper. It was founded in 1995 in Kyiv by American businessman Jed Sunden. In 2018, the publication was acquired by prominent Ukrainian businessman Adnan Kivan, foun ...

(February 14, 2012) and former Secretary of

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 ...

. In the past, Bohatyriova served as a People's Deputy 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 ...

(parliament) for the

Communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

, Christian Democratic Party of Ukraine and, more recently, 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 ...

. In October 2014, Bohatyriova was put on its wanted list by Ukrainian authorities as a suspect of large-scale embezzlement of state budget funds. According to the Ukrainian government, she has since repaid government funds that had allegedly been misappropriated. At the time her whereabouts were unknown. On August 27, 2019, Bohatyriova returned to Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian magazine ''

Focus Focus (: foci or focuses) may refer to: Arts * Focus or Focus Festival, former name of the Adelaide Fringe arts festival in East Australia Film *Focus (2001 film), ''Focus'' (2001 film), a 2001 film based on the Arthur Miller novel *Focus (2015 ...

'', Bohatyriova has placed among the top 10 most influential women in Ukraine from 2005 to 2010 (five years). She was recognized as the second most influential woman in 2006–2008 after

Yulia Tymoshenko Yulia Volodymyrivna Tymoshenko ( Hrihyan born 27 November 1960) is a Ukrainian politician, who served as Prime Minister of Ukraine in 2005, and again from 2007 until 2010; the first and only woman in Ukraine to hold that position. She has been ...

Biography

Bohatyriova was born on January 6, 1953, in the town of Bakal,

Chelyabinsk Oblast Chelyabinsk Oblast; , is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject (an oblast) of Russia in the Ural Mountains region, on the border of Europe and Asia. Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities in Russia, city of Chel ...

, of the

Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

(then the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

), to a family of workers. She was born on the day of Christmas Eve, according to

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

Christianity. Her father is Vasyl Petrovych Laktionov (1912–1985), and her mother – is Hanna Markivna Laktionova (born 1918). Bohatyriova has two older sisters Valentyna and Vira. On her website, she claims that her family is from the village of Protopopivka in

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 ...

. Bohatyriova also stated that her ancestors are from

Sloboda Ukraine Sloboda Ukraine, also known locally as ''Slobozhanshchyna'' or ''Slobozhanshchina'', is a historical region in northeastern Ukraine and southwestern Russia. It developed from Belgorod Razriad and flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries on the ...

. Bohatyriova married her husband sometime in 1975. Her husband, Ihor Oleksandrovych was a student at the

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

. Bohatyriova sympathizes with

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

and reads

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

and

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; ; 29 January 1860 – 15 July 1904) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer, widely considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career as a playwright produced four classics, and his b ...

. In 1971 Bohatyriova enrolled at the Luhansk Medical Institute. In 1977 she graduated from

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

Medical Institute with merits gaining a doctorate qualification. In 1996 graduated from

Kyiv University The Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (; also known as Kyiv University, Shevchenko University, or KNU) is a public university in Kyiv, Ukraine. The university is the third-oldest university in Ukraine after the University of Lviv and ...

, specializing in Jurisprudence, qualifications – Lawyer, Medical Doctor, and professor. Her candidate dissertation, ''Optimal System of Mass Ultrasound Screening of the Pregnant'', she defended in the

Kharkiv National Medical University The Kharkiv National Medical University (), formerly known as Kharkiv Medical Institute and previously Kharkiv State Medical University, is a State-sponsored medical university in Kharkiv, Ukraine. In March 2022 many buildings were heavily da ...

in 1996. In 2000 Bohatyriova defended her doctorate dissertation, ''Role of Inborn and Inherited Pathology in Reproductive Losses of a Family'', in the same university.

Career

From 1997 to 2003, Bohatyriova was the Secretary of the Supervisory Board at the National Fund of Social Protection for Mothers and Children Ukraine to Children.

Political career

Bohatyriova was a member of the

Communist Party of Soviet Union The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU),. Abbreviated in Russian as КПСС, ''KPSS''. at some points known as the Russian Communist Party (RCP), All-Union Communist Party and Bolshevik Party, and sometimes referred to as the Soviet ...

and a member of the organizing committee in the creation of the

Socialist Party of Ukraine The Socialist Party of Ukraine (, abbreviated SPU) was a social democratic and democratic socialist Political parties in Ukraine, political party in Ukraine. It was one of the oldest parties in Ukraine and was created by former members of the Sov ...

. She was elected to the

by the members of the

Kramatorsk Kramatorsk (, ; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Kramatorsk Raion in Donetsk Oblast of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine. Prior to 2020, Kramatorsk was a city of oblast significance. Since October 2014, Kramatorsk has been the ...

city hospital as a people's deputy, a duty she accepted on May 15, 1990. On her website, Bohatyriova claims that her initial experience in the

gave her a real sense of the

Ukrainian language Ukrainian (, ) is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language, spoken primarily in Ukraine. It is the first language, first (native) language of a large majority of Ukrainians. Written Ukrainian uses the Ukrainian alphabet, a variant of t ...

. In March 1994, Bohatyriova was not re-elected, yet was appointed as a Deputy of Minister of Health Security. She made a career in this position, working her way up to be appointed Minister of the portfolio on January 27, 1999. On January 12, 2000, Bohatyriova was deposed as a Minister of Health Security when the

Prime Minister of Ukraine The prime minister of Ukraine (, , ) is the head of government of Ukraine. The prime minister presides over the government of Ukraine, Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, which is the highest body of the executive branch of the government of Ukrain ...

was appointed,

Viktor Yushchenko Viktor Andriiovych Yushchenko (, ; born 23 February 1954) is a Ukrainian politician who was the third president of Ukraine from 23 January 2005 to 25 February 2010. He aimed to orient Ukraine towards Western world, the West, European Union, and N ...

. However, in a few months, she was appointed as a science adviser to the

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. ...

. In July 2000, Bohatyriova was again elected to the parliament as a member of the Christian Democratic Party of Ukraine. She left her faction once she became a people's deputy and was unaffiliated until March 2001. In March 2001, Bohatyriova joined the ''Regions of Ukraine'' group and, in November, its faction. In April 2002, she was re-elected by the United Ukraine block as the leader of the

. Bohatyriova was re-elected in April 2006 as the Party of Regions member, placing sixth on the party list. From July 2006 until February 2007, she was a member of the Budget Committee. In November 2007, during the all-national reelections, Bohatyriova again became a member of the

from the Party of Region. On December 24, 2007, she received an appointment from the

to head the Secretariat of the

. On January 28, 2008, the administration of the Party of Regions excluded her from the party's list. On February 14, 2012, Bohatyriova was removed from the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and appointed

. On February 24, 2014, just after the " Maidan revolution,"Ukraine: Speaker Oleksandr Turchynov named interim president

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

(February 23, 2014)
Ukraine protests timeline

(February 23, 2014) the Verkhovna Rada dismissed Bohatyriova.

Criminal proceedings against Bohatyriova

United States

In 2008, both Dmitry Itkin (; born October 23, 1963) and Viktor Naishuller (; born 1956

Murmansk Murmansk () is a port city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast in the far Far North (Russia), northwest part of Russia. It is the world's largest city north of the Arctic Circle and sits on both slopes and banks of a modest fjord, Ko ...

), who are very close to

Semion Mogilevich Semion Yudkovich Mogilevich (, ; , ; born June 30, 1946) is a Ukrainian-born Russian organized crime boss. He is described by agencies in the European Union and United States as the " boss of all bosses" of most Russian Mafia syndicates in th ...

, assisted Raisa Bohatyriova with numerous suspicious real estate purchases and alleged money laundering through the

La Jolla, California La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood in San Diego, California, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. The climate is mild, with an average daily temperature o ...

based firm Ideal Real Estate.

Ukraine

On October 20, 2014, Bohatyriova was declared a suspect in the large-scale embezzlement of ₴6 million in budget funds. The next day she was placed on the wanted list, and the court ordered the seizure of three apartments in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, one apartment in

Yalta Yalta (: ) is a resort town, resort city on the south coast of the Crimean Peninsula surrounded by the Black Sea. It serves as the administrative center of Yalta Municipality, one of the regions within Crimea. Yalta, along with the rest of Crime ...

, and three houses in (the village) Pidhirtsi (in

Obukhiv Raion Obukhiv Raion () is a raion (district) in Kyiv Oblast of Ukraine. Its administrative center is Obukhiv. Population: On 18 July 2020, as part of the administrative reform of Ukraine, the number of raions of Kyiv Oblast was reduced to seven, and ...

) owned by her and her husband. Early March 2014, the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

froze all funds belonging to Bohatyriova because they also suspected her of illegal use of budget funds. On January 12, 2015, Interpol published an international red notice again Bohatyriova as wanted for corruption and charges of "misappropriation, embezzlement or conversion of property by malversation." According to the Ukrainian government, she has since repaid government funds that had been allegedly misappropriated. For this, her funds in the EU were unfrozen. In the years following the

2014 Ukrainian revolution 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 ...

, Bohatyriova's whereabouts were unknown. On August 27, 2019, Bohatyriova returned to Ukraine and was immediately detained by the police. She was released from the pre-trial detention center two days later after

Vadym Novynskyi Vadym Novynskyi (; born 3 June 1963
Liga.net) is a Russian-born Ukrainian billionaire businessman, priest an ...

had posted bail for her.

Awards and titles

Order of Princess Olga The Order of Princess Olga () is a Ukraine, Ukrainian civil decoration, featuring Olga of Kiev and bestowed to women for "personal merits in state, production, scientific, educational, cultural, charity and other spheres of social activities, fo ...

, III class (2002) * An awardee of the State Prize of Ukraine in science and technology (1999) * Honored Doctor of Ukraine (2001) * Honorary citizen of

Donetsk Oblast Donetsk Oblast, also referred to as Donechchyna (, ), is an Oblasts of Ukraine, oblast in eastern Ukraine. It is Ukraine's most populous province, with around 4.1 million residents. Its capital city, administrative centre is Donetsk, though d ...

(2007)

Notes

References

External links

Raisa Bohatyriova
— Personal website
Party of Regions
— Official Web site of the

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bohatyriova, Raisa 1953 births Living people First convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada Third convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada Fourth convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada Fifth convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada Sixth convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada Russian people of Ukrainian descent Russian expatriates in Ukraine People from Chelyabinsk Oblast Party of Regions politicians Socialist Party of Ukraine politicians Vice prime ministers of Ukraine Ministers of healthcare of Ukraine Recipients of the Order of Princess Olga, 3rd class Secretaries of National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Fugitives wanted by Ukraine 21st-century Ukrainian women politicians Women government ministers of Ukraine 20th-century Ukrainian women politicians Laureates of the State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technology Russian individuals subject to European Union sanctions Recipients of the Honorary Diploma of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Women members of the Verkhovna Rada Exiled Ukrainian politicians