Future Minister of Ukrainian unification? What is known about Chernyshev

According to sources, the chairman of the management board of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine Alexey Chernyshov is considered as a candidate for the post of head of the Ministry of unity of Ukrainians. UNN collected information about the future Minister.  

Alexey Chernyshov already worked in the government and headed the Ministry of community and territory development in 2020-2022  .   prior to that, from 2019 to 2020, he was chairman of the Kyiv regional state administration Chernyshov has more than 20 years of experience in the private sector of the economy in Ukraine and abroad — in the fields of finance, investment, investment banking, real estate and it. now he is chairman of the board of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine.

Labor path and scandals

In the early 2000s, Chernyshev began working for the Avek concern, founded by an influential Kharkiv businessman and Verkhovna Rada deputy Alexander Feldman.

Chernyshev worked for his company for a long time and was even chairman of the supervisory board of the avec concern. 

Subsequently, he took up the investment business. In 2012, he founded the investment and development company Eastgate Development, whose activities were focused on the development of large-scale commercial real estate projects.

In 2014, he founded the Kyiv Vision Foundation, which aims to promote Ukraine in Europe through contemporary Ukrainian Art.

From 2017 to 2019-chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Real Estate Club URE Club. 

In 2024, Chernyshov got into a scandal. In the summer, Journalists of Ukrayinska Pravda stated that NABU detectives did not search the home of the head of the Board of Naftogaz Chernyshev at the request of NABU director Semyon Krivonos as part of the investigation into the embezzlement of funds of the "big construction site".

 journalists reported that the case in which the searches were supposed to be conducted concerned the alleged receipt of a bribe by Chernyshev and his entourage from the owner of the KSM Group Group, developer Sergey Kopystyra. The court ruling notes that officials of the Ministry of community and territory development during the period when it was headed by Chernyshov could have been involved in the illegal transfer of a plot of land to Kopistra for the construction of the flowers of Ukraine residential complex at 43 Tiraspol Street.  

One of the deputies of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Anti-Corruption Policy reported UNN that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine is investigating not only the period when Oleksiy Chernyshov was the minister of development of communities and territories of Ukraine , but also his activities as the head of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine. At the same time, other officials from Chernyshev's entourage are also in the field of view of law enforcement officers.

Journalist Mikhail Tkach statedthat the NABU opened criminal proceedings under Article 387 of the criminal code on the fact of draining the order for searches in Chernyshev.  

In the summer of this year, Chernyshev was supposed to be appointed to the Cabinet of ministers for the second time  and get the post of deputy prime minister. But according to media reports, it was the NABU story that prevented these plans.

Ministry of Ukrainian unification: what is known

According to UNN sources, Chairman of the management board of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine Chernyshov is considered as a candidate for the post of head of the Ministry of unity of Ukrainians. 

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the candidacy of the head of the Ministry of Association of Ukrainians will be submitted for approval by the end of this year.

The president, speaking about the plans to create a new ministry, pointed out that it should ensure sufficient strength of global Ukrainian unity.  

"Millions of our people in other countries, their ties and relations with Ukraine, the protection of our common interests as a nation – all this will be the responsibility of the new institution. In fact, it should be the Ministry of Ukrainian unity and countering Russian influence on Ukrainians. First of all, abroad," Zelensky said.

The head of state spoke about the creation of a new government structure during the presentation of the "sustainability plan" in the Verkhovna Rada in November this year.

"Ukraine needs an institutional tightening of its policy towards Ukrainians abroad, towards our people from all waves of migration. We must create a central executive authority – the Ministry of unification of Ukrainians," Zelensky said, adding that the main goal is to deal with the affairs of "a global, multi - million – strong Ukrainian community."  

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal stated that the main goal of the Ministry of Ukrainian unity is to return 7.5 million people to Ukraine not by coercion , but by prospects. To do this, it is necessary to work both at the political level with the political leaders of partner countries that have accepted refugees, and directly with the Ukrainian community.