Yurii Aristov

Biography

Yurii Aristov is a Member of Parliament of the 9th convocation. He entered parliament in 2019 representing the “Servant of the People” party (No. 42 on the electoral list) and became Chairman of the Budget Committee, though, as reported by media, de facto control over the committee was held by another MP, Oleksandr Trukhin. He later moved to the position of Deputy Chairman of the Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence.

One year after his election, he made a controversial statement suggesting that water could be supplied to the temporarily occupied Crimea on a paid basis, a proposal that was received positively in Russia. During the pandemic, he visited restaurants, and his son posted a video publicly boasting about driving through the capital at significantly excessive speeds.

Following the full-scale invasion, he was spotted in the Maldives, which sparked a media scandal and led to tighter restrictions on foreign travel, not only for MPs but also for local council deputies. Aristov submitted his resignation from his parliamentary mandate.

The Prosecutor General notified Aristov of suspicion of committing a criminal offence under Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (official forgery). According to the investigation, the MP entered false information into documents regarding his business trip, which he then used as the basis for travelling abroad.

Previously, the politician was a business partner of Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Timeline of Key Events

2024

The politician’s wife, blogger Maryna Aristova, announced that she was divorcing her husband due to infidelity.

2023

Voted for the law on the decolonisation of geographical names, which provided for changing toponyms associated with the aggressor state and its imperial policy (Draft Law #7253).

The investigative outlet “Slidstvo.Info” published evidence that Aristov was staying at a 5-star hotel in the Maldives. Following the scandal, the politician resigned his mandate.

The Prosecutor General notified Aristov of suspicion of committing a criminal offence under Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (official forgery). The MP was supposed to go on a three-day business trip to a neighbouring European country but travelled to the Maldives instead. Furthermore, false information regarding Aristov’s sick leave was later entered into the electronic healthcare system, even though no medical examination had taken place. A year later, “Slidstvo.Info” journalists reported that Aristov had still not reviewed his case file, despite being required to do so.

After the scandal involving Aristov, “Ukrainska Pravda,” citing sources in the Office of the President, reported that foreign travel had been unofficially blocked for MPs. “European Solidarity” MP Oleksii Honcharenko claimed that the decision on whether to allow an MP to travel abroad is made personally by the Head of the Office of the President, Andrii Yermak.

2022

Moved to the position of Deputy Chairman of the Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence.

Voted for bill #5655, which was criticised by a number of NGOs, including the CHESNO movement and the DEJURE Foundation, as well as the Association of Ukrainian Cities, the Architectural Chamber of the NSAU, the National Union of Architects of Ukraine, and the “Dzerkalo Tyzhnia” publication. The European Parliament and the European Commission expressed their reservations about this legislative initiative. Chatham House, citing analytical materials from “Holka,” noted that the provisions of this law create risks for the emergence of construction cartels.

Supported the ban on pro-Russian parties and the liquidation of the “Wolf Court” – the District Administrative Court of Kyiv.

2021

“Ukrainska Pravda” journalists wrote that Oleksandr Trukhin had effectively seized control of the Budget Committee from Aristov.

The politician violated quarantine restrictions by meeting in a restaurant.

Became the primary co-author of a bill on the redistribution of 35 billion UAH from the COVID-19 Fight Fund to road construction (#3509), which faced significant criticism.

2020

Expressed the idea of supplying water to the temporarily occupied Crimea on a paid basis. This idea was met with approval in Moscow, but it was not implemented due to the resulting scandal.

2019

Elected to parliament representing “Servant of the People” (No. 42 on the electoral list) and became Chairman of the Budget Committee.

Before being elected as an MP, Yurii Aristov owned a group of companies specialising in the restaurant business and the import and sale of seafood. The businessman was a business partner of Volodymyr Zelenskyy; Aristov and the future president became co-founders of “NORIN PLUS” LLC. Furthermore, the beneficiaries of the firm included Olena Zelenska and Larysa Shefir, the wife of Zelenskyy’s first assistant.

Journalists, citing the “YouControl” service, reported that after his election, the MP did not sell his firms but re-registered them to relatives.

2015-2019

Was the founder and owner of “ATLANTIC-UMMA” LLC, one of the largest importers of fish and seafood in Ukraine.

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