Roman Vasyliovych Kostenko ( uk, Роман Васильович Костенко; born 21 October 1983) is a Ukrainian military commander and politician currently serving as a
People's Deputy of Ukraine
People's, branded as ''People's Viennaline'' until May 2018, and legally ''Altenrhein Luftfahrt GmbH'', is an Austrian airline headquartered in Vienna. It operates scheduled and charter passenger flights mainly from its base at St. Gallen-Alte ...
from the
Holos
Holos was an influential OLAP (Online Analytical Processing) product of the 1990s. Developed by Holistic Systems in 1987, the product remained in use until around 2004.
The core of the Holos Server was a business intelligence (BI) virtual mach ...
party list since 29 August 2019. A member of the
Cyborgs
A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline. , Kostenko fought at the
Second Battle of Donetsk Airport
A part of the ongoing war in the Donbas region of Ukraine, the Second Battle of Donetsk Airport began on 28 September 2014. An earlier battle in May 2014 had left Donetsk International Airport in Ukrainian control. Despite a ceasefire agreeme ...
during the
war in Donbas
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regula ...
, for which he was awarded the
Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky
The Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky ( uk, Орден Богдана Хмельницького, Orden Bohdana Khmelʹnytsʹkoho) is a Ukrainian military award named after Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Hetman of the Ukrainian Cossack
The Cossacks , ...
, as well as the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. He is a
secretary of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence. His military call sign is "Thunder" ( uk, Гром, Hrom).
Early life and career
Roman Kostenko was born in
Kherson on 21 October 1983, in what was then the
Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...
of the
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
. He was educated in the city of
Mykolaiv
Mykolaiv ( uk, Миколаїв, ) is a city and municipality in Southern Ukraine, the administrative center of the Mykolaiv Oblast. Mykolaiv city, which provides Ukraine with access to the Black Sea, is the location of the most downriver bri ...
, and later graduated from the
Odesa Military Academy
The Odesa Military Academy is a modern higher military institution of the inter-services Armed Forces of Ukraine. It is one of the oldest military academies in the former Russian Empire, having been active for more than a century. has deep histor ...
in 2005, spending ten years of his life in the latter city. Kostenko has described
Southern Ukraine
Southern Ukraine ( uk, південна Україна, translit=pivdenna Ukrayina) or south Ukraine refers, generally, to the oblasts in the south of Ukraine.
The territory usually corresponds with the Soviet economical district, the Southern ...
as his native land, and stated that he returned to military service during the
Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. ...
in order to protect the region.
Kostenko has stated that he had a desire to join the military from a young age, and has noted that this was despite the fact that none of his family members other than his great-grandfather had previously served in military roles. At the age of 16, he decided to join the Odesa Military Academy, after also considering and
Ivan Bohun Military High School.
Military career
Kostenko's military career began in 2000.
He originally served in the
79th Air Assault Brigade, at first as a platoon commander, and later as a company commander. In 2008, Kostenko moved from the 79th Air Assault Brigade to the
Alpha Group
Spetsgruppa "A", also known as Alpha Group (a popular English name), or Alfa, whose official name is Directorate "A" of the FSB Special Purpose Center (TsSN FSB) (Russian: Спецназ ФСБ "Альфа"), is an elite stand-alone sub-unit o ...
, within the
Security Service of Ukraine
The Security Service of Ukraine ( uk, Служба безпеки України, translit=Sluzhba bezpeky Ukrainy}) or SBU ( uk, СБУ, link=no) is the law enforcement authority and main intelligence and security agency of the Ukrainia ...
, in spite of his parents' protests and the lower pay.
War in Donbas (2014–2022)
During the early stages of the
war in Donbas
War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regula ...
, Kostenko chose to fight the separatist forces of the
Donetsk People's Republic
The Donetsk People's Republic ( rus, Донецкая Народная Республика, Donetskaya Narodnaya Respublika, dɐˈnʲetskəjə nɐˈrodnəjə rʲɪˈspublʲɪkə; abbreviated as DPR or DNR, rus, ДНР) is a disputed en ...
, using vacation days he had saved up to go to the front with the 79th Air Assault Brigade, his former unit.
In 2022, Kostenko said that he had joined the war "to restore justice", also saying:
Kostenko was part of the group of Ukrainian soldiers known as "
Cyborgs
A cyborg ()—a portmanteau of ''cybernetic'' and ''organism''—is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline. " for their defence of
Donetsk International Airport
Donetsk Sergei Prokofiev International Airport ( uk, Міжнародний аеропорт "Донецьк", Russian: Международный аэропорт "Донецк") is a former airport located northwest of Donetsk, Ukraine, tha ...
during the
Second Battle of Donetsk Airport
A part of the ongoing war in the Donbas region of Ukraine, the Second Battle of Donetsk Airport began on 28 September 2014. An earlier battle in May 2014 had left Donetsk International Airport in Ukrainian control. Despite a ceasefire agreeme ...
. For this, he was awarded the
Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky
The Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky ( uk, Орден Богдана Хмельницького, Orden Bohdana Khmelʹnytsʹkoho) is a Ukrainian military award named after Bohdan Khmelnytsky, Hetman of the Ukrainian Cossack
The Cossacks , ...
in 2014. Kostenko noted that many of the Cyborgs were not professional soldiers. He additionally criticised the attitude of some soldiers who did not fight at Donetsk Airport for that reason, saying, "Look, people don't know anything. Only that this is their land. They take a machine gun, and go and protect it. These people were the most motivated. When you see that you have such soldiers, there's no fear."
Kostenko continued to serve in active duty until May 2019, retiring from active duty due to his election to the
Verkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...
(Ukraine's parliament).
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
In 2022, immediately following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Kostenko returned to active duty, travelling south to fight Russian soldiers attacking the city of Mykolaiv. Kostenko worked with to formulate the ultimately-successful plan to defend the city.
Kostenko led an ad-hoc special forces group that destroyed the bridges over irrigation channels around the city, helping to halt the Russian advance.
Kostenko has been regarded as one of the most significant Ukrainian military commanders of the invasion, being listed by influential magazine ' as among the top 25 commanders due to his role in the
Southern Ukraine campaign
The southern Ukraine campaign is an ongoing theatre of operation in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine which began on 24 February 2022. From their base in Russian-occupied Crimea, the Russian Armed Forces attacked Kherson Oblast, Mykolaiv ...
.
Political career
Before his decision to run in the
2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election
Snap elections to the Ukrainian parliament were held on 21 July 2019. Originally scheduled to be held at the end of October, these elections were brought forward after newly inaugurated President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dissolved parliament on 21 ...
, Kostenko was close to multiple members of the Ukrainian political party Holos, particularly television presenter
Serhiy Prytula
Serhiy Dmytrovych Prytula ( uk, Сергій Дмитрович Притула; born 22 June 1981) is a Ukrainian public and political figure, who gained his popularity as a TV presenter and actor. Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukrain ...
and fellow Cyborg , who ultimately recruited him to join the party.
2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election
In July 2019, in a 2019 interview to the Tsensor.NET website, Kostenko announced he was joining the Holos party, campaigning on a policy of bringing an end to the
Russo-Ukrainian War
The Russo-Ukrainian War; uk, російсько-українська війна, rosiisko-ukrainska viina. has been ongoing between Russia (alongside Russian separatists in Ukraine) and Ukraine since February 2014. Following Ukraine's Rev ...
and making Ukraine a "successful and comfortable country for life." He additionally cited the lack of victory in the war as the justification for his joining politics, and refused to rule out the possibility of becoming
Minister of Defense
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in so ...
. He additionally criticised the political establishment and welcomed anti-establishment figures as a break from what he referred to as the "political elite."
Kostenko was placed 14th on the party list of Holos during the election, and was ultimately successfully elected into the Verkhovna Rada.
Following his election, he became secretary of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence.
In 2020, Kostenko graduated from the
National Academy for Public Administration
The National Academy of State Administration ( uk, Національна академія державного управління) of the President of Ukraine is the main state higher educational establishment in Ukraine for preparation and im ...
with a master's degree in public administration.
Kostenko was the author of the successful Draft Law on Amendments to the Law of Ukraine "On the Foundations of National Resistance," which expanded the scope of
Territorial Defense Forces operations.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kostenko, Roman
1983 births
Living people
Ukrainian politicians
Odesa Military Academy alumni
National Academy of State Administration alumni
Security Service of Ukraine officers
Voice (Ukrainian political party) politicians
Ninth convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada
Ukrainian military personnel of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Ukrainian military personnel of the war in Donbas