Serhiy Taruta
Serhii Taruta | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 22, 1955 Mariupol, Ukraine |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, politician |
| Known for | Founder of Industrial Union of Donbas, Governor of Donetsk Oblast (2014), president of FC Metalurh Donetsk |
Serhii Olexiiovych Taruta (; born 22 July 1955) is a prominent Ukrainian entrepreneur and politician, presently serving as a deputy in the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada. Frequently labeled as an oligarch, he established the Industrial Union of Donbas, a leading industrial holding. Taruta also held the position of governor of Donetsk Oblast between March and October 2014 and was president of FC Metalurh Donetsk until the club ceased operations.
Biography
Born in Mariupol in 1955, Serhii Taruta was an accomplished cyclist during his early years, reportedly covering around 120 kilometres daily. He pursued his education at Pryazovskyi State Technical University before beginning his career at the major Ukrainian metallurgical enterprise, Azovstal.
Business career
In 1995, Taruta departed from Azovstal to co-establish "Azovintex," a company specializing in foreign trade. Later that year, in December, he assumed the role of CEO at the Industrial Union of Donbass Corporation (ISD Corporation), which he had also helped to found. From 2001 until 2014, he chaired ISD’s Board of Directors.
As reported by Forbes, Taruta was listed among the world’s wealthiest individuals, with an estimated fortune exceeding $2.7 billion in 2008.
Political career
Taruta secured election to the Donetsk Regional City Council in both 1998 and 2002. Amidst the pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine, acting President Olexander Turchynov appointed him as Governor of Donetsk Oblast on 2 March 2014. His tenure ended on 10 October 2014 when President Petro Poroshenko dismissed him and appointed Oleksandr Kikhtenko as successor.
In the parliamentary elections of 2014, Taruta won a single-member district seat representing Mariupol, garnering 60% of votes, and has served as a member of the Ukrainian parliament since 27 November 2014.
He leads the Group for Inter-parliamentary Relations between Ukraine and Germany and chairs the Sub-Committee on Protection of Historic and Cultural Heritage under the Parliamentary Committee for Culture and Spiritual Affairs.
Taruta co-heads the Parliamentary Platform for Donbass’ Future, which develops legislative initiatives aimed at reintegrating occupied regions. He is the architect of the Three Pillars peace strategy for Donbass and proposed the Vienna Format for peace negotiations.
He spearheaded drafting Ukraine’s Sustainable Development Doctrine for 2030.
Taruta established the political organization Osnova. On 22 September 2018, Osnova put forward his candidacy for the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election. However, on 16 March 2019, shortly before voting day, he withdrew his bid to endorse fellow contender Yulia Tymoshenko, although his name remained listed on ballots.
During the July 2019 parliamentary elections, Taruta ranked second on the party list of Fatherland and secured re-election to parliament.
Private life
Serhii Taruta is married and has two daughters. He is also an avid collector of antiques, possessing more than 150 historical artifacts, close to 280 paintings, along with several timepieces.
Honours
Taruta has been awarded the Order for Service to Homeland in both III (2006) and II degrees (2009), as well as receiving the Order of St. Ann, II degree.