Iryna Vereshchuk

Biography

Iryna Vereshchuk is a Member of the Verkhovna Rada of the 9th convocation. She entered parliament in 2019 representing the “Servant of the People” party (No. 29 on the electoral list). In the Verkhovna Rada, she joined the Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence, serving as the head of the subcommittee on state security and defence. In 2021, she was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine.

Following the full-scale invasion in 2022, Minister Iryna Vereshchuk was one of the key government representatives responsible for organising the evacuation of people from occupied territories and coordinating “green corridors.” She received direct calls, and this phase of her personal work is characterised as responsible. The same cannot be said for other areas under her purview, or for the political connections with representatives of the Opposition Platform—For Life (OPZZh) that have followed her since her time in local government. This also applies to her contacts with representatives of former Kyiv Mayor Leonid Chernovetskyi’s team, who settled into the circle surrounding the fifth President of Ukraine, Petro Poroshenko.

Timeline of Key Events

2024

Submitted a letter of resignation from the position of Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories. The President appointed her as a Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Andriy Yermak, where she is responsible for handling citizens’ appeals, as well as pardon and citizenship commissions; she also deals with issues regarding prisoners of war. According to various sources, the appointment to the Office of the President was linked to a desire to retain an implementer within the Bankova Street team. Following this, Vereshchuk successfully faded into the political shadows.

2022

While serving as the Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories, she lobbied for the adoption of bills on liability for collaboration with occupation authorities (#7646 and #7647—both were repealed in 2025). According to a number of civic activists, these bills effectively allowed for “forced” contact and interaction between the Ukrainian authorities and the occupiers and their bodies, as well as with illegal armed formations and the authorities of the Russian Federation in the temporarily occupied territories. At the same time, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights noted that the bill did not contain an unambiguous interpretation of the rules regarding the types of economic activity permitted for the population to meet their minimum needs.

During her time at the Ministry of Reintegration, Vereshchuk also oversaw issues regarding prisoners of war, raised questions about interaction with veteran communities, and participated in pardon and citizenship commissions. However, there are no specific achievements or major projects that were effectively completed under her leadership.

General criticism of her performance as Minister concerns the Ministry’s lack of capacity to formulate policy and respond to challenges in a timely manner. Vereshchuk’s ministry, much like the government as a whole, became an implementer of external instructions from the Office of the President, which limited the Minister’s initiative and public trust.

It is also important to understand that although Vereshchuk represented “Servant of the People” in the government, she maintained contacts with MPs from “European Solidarity”—especially Serhiy Berezenko. He was responsible for Poroshenko’s party headquarters and oversaw personnel and active work at the local level. Given Vereshchuk’s past administrative activities and her participation in veteran projects, cooperation with Berezenko was possible through joint initiatives.

2021

Resigned as an MP due to her appointment as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine.

2020

Was a mayoral candidate for Kyiv representing the “Servant of the People” party. According to estimates by journalists from Bihus.info, she had the most expensive outdoor election campaign. She placed fifth in the election, explaining the defeat as the result of poor work by the “Servant of the People” party and intrigues by fellow party member Mykola Tyshchenko and Alla Shpalak.

At the same time, many sources in 2020 (including Ukrayinska Pravda, ZN.UA, and LB.ua) noted that Vereshchuk had no real chance of defeating Vitali Klitschko, but was a convenient candidate for maintaining a “controlled” campaign without aggressive criticism of Klitschko, creating an illusion of competition, and fulfilling a technical function—collecting votes from the “Servant of the People” electorate without any intention of winning.

2019

Elected as a Member of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine from the “Servant of the People” party (No. 29 on the list). In the Verkhovna Rada, she joined the Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence, serving as the head of the subcommittee on state security and defence. Until 15 November, she served as the Government Representative in the Verkhovna Rada.

That same year, Iryna Vereshchuk appeared multiple times on the airwaves of television channels 112 Ukraine, NewsOne, and ZIK, which de jure belonged to an associate of Viktor Medvedchuk—Taras Kozak—and de facto were controlled by Medvedchuk himself. This triggered a loud political debate and caused suspicions regarding her political orientation, as these media outlets were widely known as platforms for pro-Russian narratives in Ukraine.

On these channels, Vereshchuk gave interviews and comments on various political issues. Specifically, in September 2019, on the 112 Ukraine channel, she made a controversial statement regarding NATO: “One cannot go where one is not awaited.” This caused a sharp reaction from the public, and the government was forced to clarify her words, stating that the meaning of her statement had been taken out of context and that her position was contrary to state policy. The politician was also a guest on other political talk shows, where she engaged in disputes with opponents regarding national security, defence, and relations with Russia.

Vereshchuk was repeatedly forced to publicly justify her appearances on these channels and explain her relationships with Medvedchuk and Kozak. She explained that she had known Taras Kozak for a long time—back to when she was the Mayor of Rava-Ruska in the Lviv region. She stated that Kozak had been a deputy of the Lviv Regional Council since 2010 and ran in the electoral district that included her city. Because of this, they had close contact: “We jokingly called him ‘our development budget.’ He did more in the Yavoriv and Zhovkva districts than two district development budgets combined.” At the same time, Vereshchuk said that she felt “neutral” towards Kozak and that they essentially did not communicate in the Verkhovna Rada, having only seen each other twice in the parliament corridors.

Regarding Medvedchuk, she categorically denied any cooperation or personal connection, explaining her appearances on his television channels as a desire to convey the government’s position to a wide audience.

2015

Resigned from the position of Mayor of Rava-Ruska at her own request following accusations of corruption, including those related to land scandals. She was accused of illegal land allocation, accepting bribes, and distributing communal land to relatives. For example, there was a scandal involving nearly 400 land plots during her work in the Rava-Ruska City Council, as well as accusations from former MP Volodymyr Parasyuk regarding ineffective work and frequent absence from the workplace.

2014

Ran for the Verkhovna Rada as an independent candidate (District No. 122), but lost to Volodymyr Parasyuk, placing 6th.

2011

President Viktor Yanukovych awarded Vereshchuk a medal for the 20th anniversary of Ukraine’s Independence. Later, Vereshchuk stated that she had principledly refused to accept the award for a long time, but eventually accepted it.

2010

Elected Mayor of Rava-Ruska representing Serhiy Tihipko’s “Strong Ukraine” party. At that time, she worked as a Deputy Head of the Zhovkva District State Administration.

If, in your opinion, this profile contains inaccurate information, please contact us in writing at ngo.holka@gmail.com. The team of the Holka civic initiative will review your submission and provide a response.