Ihor Baluta

Ihor Baluta
Born	(1970-07-09) July 9, 1970 Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Occupation(s)	Pediatrician, entrepreneur, politician
Years active	1993–present
Known for	Governor of Kharkiv Oblast (2014–2015)

Ihor Myronovych Baluta () is a Ukrainian pediatrician, entrepreneur, and political figure who held the position of Governor of Kharkiv Oblast from March 2014 until February 2015.

Biography

Born on 9 July 1970 in Kharkiv, Baluta completed his medical education at Kharkiv National Medical University in 1993, specializing in pediatrics. From 1993 to 1998, he was employed at a pediatric hospital in Kharkiv. Subsequently, he worked as an assistant in the Clinical Immunology and Allergology laboratory at the Kharkiv Research Institute of Microbiology and Immunology until 2002. Between 2002 and 2005, Baluta served as the chief executive officer for two private companies. He was actively involved in the Orange Revolution during late 2004. From April 2005 through September 2010, he led the Directorate of Labour and Social Protection in Kharkiv Oblast.

In the local elections of 2010, Baluta secured a seat as Deputy of the Kharkiv Oblast Council representing Batkivshchyna. During the 2012 parliamentary elections, he contested constituency 168 (Kharkiv) for Batkivshchyna but finished second with 29.34% of the vote, losing to a candidate from the Party of Regions.

Amidst the pro-Russian unrest in Kharkiv Oblast, Baluta was appointed Governor on 2 March 2014. His tenure began during a period marked by significant instability, including an incident where the Ukrainian flag at his administration building was replaced with a Russian flag. He expressed support for the newly formed Yatsenyuk Government and confronted persistent pro-Russian demonstrations that occasionally took control of the regional administration premises until mid-April. By late April, stability had largely been reestablished.

On 3 February 2015, President Petro Poroshenko replaced Baluta with Ihor Raynin as Governor.

In the October 2015 local elections, Baluta campaigned for Mayor of Kharkiv under the Volunteer Party of Ukraine but was defeated by incumbent Hennadiy Kernes. Later, in the October 2020 local elections, he sought election to the Kharkiv Oblast Council representing the Aktsent party; however, neither he nor his party won any seats.