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Kira RudykMP
Кіра Рудик
Rudyk in June 2022
People's Deputy of Ukraine
Incumbent
Assumed office 29 August 2019
Leader of the Holos party
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 March 2020
Preceded by	Svyatoslav Vakarchuk
Personal details
Born	(1985-10-14) 14 October 1985 (age 39) Uzhhorod, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine)
Political party	Holos
Education	National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy

Kira Oleksandrivna Rudyk (or Rudik; Template:Lang-uk; born October 14, 1985) is a Ukrainian and European public and political figure, vice-president of the European transnational political party Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe since June 4, 2022, deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the 9th convocation, head of the Holos political party. She consistently advocates for Ukraine's integration into the European Union and NATO.

Before starting her political career, she built a successful career in the Ukrainian and American IT industries. She created the company Ring Ukraine, a branch of the American startup Ring. In 2018, she and her partners sold the company to Amazon. She was a member of the board of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine and the IT Association of Ukraine.

Biography

Childhood and education

Rudyk was born on October 14, 1985, in Uzhhorod. In 2002, she graduated with a gold medal from school No. 1 in Uzhhorod with an advanced study of the English language.

While attending school, she participated in school Olympiads in mathematics, physics, chemistry, the Ukrainian language, and other subjects. She graduated from a music school with two majors: piano and percussion instruments.

In 2008, she obtained a master's degree at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, defending her thesis on Automated Agent-Oriented Systems in Control Systems and Technologies.

Career and business

In 2005, in the third year of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Kira started working in the IT field at Software MacKiev. Since 2007, she has tested software at TAIN Ukraine. She worked as a manager of several IT projects, in particular American MiMedia (2010—2013) and TechTeamLabs (2013—2016).

Since 2016, she has been the chief operating officer of Ring Ukraine. In 3 years, under her leadership, the company increased its staff in Ukraine from ten to a thousand employees with offices in three cities, and the company was considered the most innovative development office in Ukraine. In 2018, Ring was sold to Amazon for $1 billion, making it the second-largest asset purchase in Amazon's history.

Political activity

In the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Kira Rudyk was elected as a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of the IX convocation under the third number on the electoral list of the Holos. In Parliament, she became the first deputy head of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on Digital Transformation. She is a co-chairperson of the group on inter-parliamentary relations with Singapore.

As a member of parliament, she continues to support the IT industry and opposes tax increases for IT professionals. In addition, she is a co-author of a number of draft laws in the field of economy, social protection, animal protection. On December 12, 2019, Rudyk became the co-chair of the Humane Country Association, created on the initiative of the UAnimals to protect animals from cruelty.

On March 11, 2020, the congress of the Holos party elected Kira as the head of the party. Before that, Sviatoslav Vakarchuk was the head of the party. In July 2020, Kira Rudyk announced the transition of the party to the opposition. On September 4, 2020, Russia included Rudyk in the list of persons subject to special economic measures. Under the leadership of Kira Rudyk, the party successfully took part in the 2020 Ukrainian local elections, securing the election of more than 300 of its representatives to local councils, including in Kyiv, Lviv, Rivne and 50 other cities and communities. More than 50% of deputies elected by Holos are women.

Under the leadership of Kira Rudyk, the Holos political party became the first of the parliamentary parties of Ukraine to receive full membership in the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE).

On June 4, 2022, she was elected vice-president of the ALDE, for the first time in history from among countries that are not members of the EU. As the vice-president of ALDE, on the eve of the decision to grant Ukraine the status of a candidate for EU membership, she made a working visit to Brussels, where she held political meetings in support of the historic decision with European parliamentarians.

Legislative activity

• Author of the draft resolution on mass testing of Ukrainian citizens for antibodies to COVID-19.
• Author of amendments and proposals to the law on the land market, due to which citizens of the Russian Federation or anyone affiliated with them do not have the right to buy Ukrainian land.
• Co-author of the law on supporting small and medium-sized businesses during the coronavirus pandemic, according to which the USC and any checks by fiscal authorities were canceled.
• Co-author of the bill on stimulating the development of information technologies in Ukraine (alternative “Diia.City”).
• Co-author of the law on e-passports.
• Co-author of the law on virtual assets.
• Co-author of the law on the paperless regime in public services.

Russo-Ukrainian war

With the beginning of Russia's full-scale aggression on February 24, 2022, she takes an active part in forming sustainable international support for Ukraine. On the day of the Russian invasion, she was in the Verkhovna Rada, where she supported the introduction of martial law and the adoption of all bills necessary for defense.

From the first days of the war, in communication with European and American politicians and international media, she advocated for the introduction of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, and also for quickly providing Ukraine with the necessary weapons. Advocates for negotiations between Ukraine and its partners with Russia exclusively from a position of strength.

In May 2022 she was in Scotland meeting the first minister, Nicola Sturgeon. She thanked her for the support of Scotland.

In June 2022, she visited Lithuania and Sweden, had meetings with the Speaker of the Parliament of Lithuania Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, the Mayor of Vilnius Remigijus Šimašius, Swedish and Lithuanian parliamentarians to strengthen support for Ukraine. She was a participant in the 75th Liberal International Congress, where she spoke in a panel discussion on security and the new world order.

She took part in the work of the European Union summit, where Ukraine received the status of a candidate for EU membership, and held a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron as part of the summit of leaders of European liberal parties.

After granting Ukraine the status of a candidate for accession to the European Union, she actively demands accelerated implementation of reforms from the Ukrainian government, primarily in the field of fighting corruption, as well as improving the quality of public administration. She advocates for the creation of a new world security system that ensures the protection of democracy from the aggression of authoritarian regimes, is convinced that Ukraine will be an integral part of such a security system.

At the international level, she is actively working on expanding programs to support Ukrainian women and children who suffered as a result of Russian aggression.

During her participation in the General Assembly of the Africa Liberal Network, Kira Rudyk said that an important task for a politician is the consolidation of political support for Ukraine from the countries of the Global South, and it is necessary to convince African liberal partners of the need for real actions to support Ukraine and international security, to call on them to defend international peace, security and territorial integrity together with us and strengthen Ukraine's position in the Global South.

She actively supports the confiscation of seized Russian assets in favor of Ukraine, as well as the recognition of Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism for further expansion of sanctions.

Together with Bill Browder, she participates in an advocacy campaign for the adoption of laws on the confiscation of the property of the aggressor country registered in the United States of America, Canada, and Great Britain, and the sending of funds to support the Ukrainian army, Ukrainian refugees, as well as for the further recovery of the country from the consequences of the war.

At a meeting with the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi in Washington, she spoke about publicly supporting the confiscation of Russian assets in favor of Ukraine. The speaker of the US House of Representatives is known for her support of Ukraine. In particular, Nancy Pelosi made a statement that Russia should be recognized as a state sponsor of terrorism.

During a meeting with Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Kira Rudyk presented a project to confiscate Russian assets in favor of Ukraine. A team of the best experts, lawyers, and financiers has been working on this initiative for the past months, its goal is to make Russia pay for everything destroyed in Ukraine. Estonia was chosen to present the project because of the Baltic countries' huge contribution to supporting Ukraine.

Social activism

Kira Rudyk promotes the issue of female leadership. In 2018, she graduated from the Stanford program for female managers and also studied at the Aspen Institute in Ukraine (Responsible Leadership seminar). As a speaker, Kira Rudyk shares her own successful experience as a female leader, IT entrepreneur, and politician at numerous events dedicated to equality and female leadership.

Since living in Uzhhorod, Kira Rudyk has been involved in the protection of homeless animals and has her animal shelter. As the director of Ring Ukraine, Kira Rudyk encouraged charitable activities. The company actively helped orphanages and homes for the elderly. Rudyk also initiated the creation of a "network of grandmothers" (a group of retired people) who take care of animals for an additional fee until they find new owners.

After the full-scale invasion of Russia on February 24, 2022, she initiated 4 major humanitarian projects to support Ukrainians affected by the war.

• Ukraine is a Big Family, aimed at supporting large families. Thanks to the initiative, more than 7,000 families have already received financial assistance from American and European families.
• There Will Be Joy. This project is aimed at supporting women and girls who suffered from psychological and physical violence by the occupiers. Hundreds of girls have already received psychological help, financial support, personal hygiene items, etc.
• Graduate and Return. A joint project of providing free international education to Ukrainian students with Ukrainian partners and more than 100 of the best world universities.
• Breadwinner. A project to support Ukrainian female entrepreneurs who became the sole breadwinners of their families due to the war. Thanks to the collection of donations and the hosting of charity auctions, female entrepreneurs receive media support and grants for the development of their businesses.

Media activity

Since the beginning of full-scale Russian aggression, Kira Rudyk has been conducting an active information campaign in the leading mass media of the United States and Europe in support of Ukraine, advocating the provision of large-scale military, financial, and political support to the country.

Appeared on CNN, Fox News, NBC, MSNBC, Newsmax, BBC World, Sky News, GB News, Times Radio, Polsat, TVP World, Talk TV, Al Jazeera, CBC, ABC News, Bloomberg, BFM TV, LBC, LCI, CTV, RTE Ireland and other leading information platforms, gave interviews to leading publications in the United States, Great Britain and Poland.

Awards and ratings

• Women In Politics Champion of the Year Award from The Alliance of Her — November 2022
• Top 100 Ranking of Promising Ukrainian Politicians (No. 2 on the list) according to Gazeta.ua — 2021.
• Top 100 Successful Women of Ukraine according to the version of the The New Voice of Ukraine magazine — 2019, 2020, 2021.
• Top 80 Most Influential People of Ukraine according to Focus magazine — 2020, 2021.
• Top 35 Most Influential Women of Ukraine according to Focus magazine — 2020, 2021
• Top 33 Best Managers of Ukraine according to Focus magazine — 2019.
• Top 100 Most Influential Women of Ukraine according to Focus magazine — 2019.

References

1. "Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine". itd.rada.gov.ua. Archived from the original on 2020-03-30. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
2. "Kira Rudik's personal website".
3. "Kira Rudik's verified Twitter account".
4. "PEP: Dossier Rudyk Kira Oleksandrivna, Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine (Ukrainian Parliament), Member of Parliament of Ukraine". PEP.org.ua. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
5. "European liberals elect new leadership at ALDE Congress". ALDE. 4 June 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-02.
6. "Святослав Вакарчук перестав бути головою партії "Голос"" (in Ukrainian). Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
7. "Ukrainian Singer Vakarchuk Steps Down As Head of Holos Political Party". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
8. "Жінка України 2019/ Кіра Рудик". Жінка України. Archived from the original on 2022-01-24.
9. ^ "Рудик Кіра Олександрівна — вся правда Біографія, Балотування, Фракції, Декларація". www.chesno.org. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
10. (in Russian) Short biography of Kira Rudyk, LIGA
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13. Парламент затвердив список своїх комітетів і їх склад. ХТО В ЯКОМУ Новинарня (29.08.2019)
14. Goloszmin. "Підвищення податків у січні 2020 року для ФОП в ІТ не буде, — Кіра Рудик". goloszmin.org (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2020-08-27.
15. "4 ассоциации от лица всей IT-индустрии поддержали создание 5-й группы ФОП — документ". AIN.UA (in Russian). 2019-09-19. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
16. "Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine official webportal". w1.c1.rada.gov.ua. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
17. "У Раді створили міжфракційне об'єднання з метою захисту прав тварин" (in Ukrainian). НВ. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
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19. "Россия ввела санкции против депутатов из фракции "ЕС", "Батькивщина" и "Голос"" (in Russian). Ukrayinska Pravda. 2020-09-04. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
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21. "Ukraine granted EU Candidate status". ALDE. 4 June 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
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26. "Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine official webportal". w1.c1.rada.gov.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2022-09-07.
27. "I plead with our NATO partners to provide us with a no-fly zone: Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik". Deutsche Welle. 2022-03-15. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
28. "'When he says "I want peace," this means "I'm getting my troops to kill you"': Ukrainian Parliament member on talks with Putin". CNN. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
29. "Ukrainian MP Kira Rudik 'extremely grateful' to Scots for solidarity". STV News. 2022-06-01. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
30. "VP Rudik travels to Lithuania and Sweden to advocate for more support to Ukraine". ALDE. 5 July 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
31. "Liberal International celebrates 75th Anniversary at Congress in Bulgaria". ALDE. 6 July 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
32. Kira Rudik (15 July 2022). "EU candidate status is a historic opportunity to transform Ukraine". Atlantic Council. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
33. "The most effective response to the security threats of the modern world is unity and new alliances — Kira Rudik at the Transatlantic Week session". www.kirarudik.com. 2022-07-25. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
34. "Vice-President of the European Parliament Dita Charanzová promised to support projects for Ukrainian women". www.kirarudik.com. 2022-07-03. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
35. "The Support of African Countries Is Important for the Isolation of Russia in the World, — Kira Rudik at a Speech at the Africa Liberal Network". www.kirarudik.com. 2022-10-08. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
36. "Kira Rudik discussed the mechanisms of Russian assets confiscation for the restoration of Ukraine with Bill Browder". www.kirarudik.com. 2022-07-11. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
37. "Kira Rudik Met with Nancy Pelosi Regarding Confiscation of Russian Assets: "We Need a Step Forward"". www.kirarudik.com. 2022-09-22. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
38. "At the Meeting with the Prime Minister of Estonia, Kira Rudik Presented a Russian Assets Confiscation Project for Ukraine's Recovery". www.kirarudik.com. 2022-10-11. Retrieved 2022-11-16.
39. "Ukraine is One Big Family". www.kirarudik.com. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
40. "There Will Be Joy". www.kirarudik.com. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
41. "Graduate and Return". www.kirarudik.com. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
42. "Breadwinner". www.kirarudik.com. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
43. Dan Sabbagh (30 May 2022). "Ukrainian MP urges west to supply long-range rockets or risk Russian victory". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
44. Michał Kokot (2022-07-22). "Ukraińska opozycjonistka: Dajcie nam rosyjskie pieniądze. Kupimy za nie broń" (in Polish). Gazeta Wyborcza. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
45. "Kira Rudik received the Women In Politics Champion of the Year Award from The Alliance of Her". www.kirarudik.com. 27 November 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
46. "Inspiring and empowering session concludes AOH Class of 2022". ALDE. 29 November 2022. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
47. "Рейтинг перспективних українських політиків 2021". gazeta.ua. 9 February 2021. Retrieved 7 September 2022.
48. "Топ-100 успішних жінок України". magazine.nv.ua. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
49. "Топ-100 успішних жінок України". magazine.nv.ua. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
50. "100 самых влиятельных женщин Украины по версии журнала Фокус | редакционный рейтинг 2020". ФОКУС (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-10-28.

External links

• Appearances on C-SPAN

• 1985 births
• 21st-century Ukrainian women politicians
• People from Uzhhorod
• Living people
• Voice (Ukrainian political party) politicians
• Leaders of political parties in Ukraine
• National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy alumni
• Ukrainian women in business
• Ninth convocation members of the Verkhovna Rada
• Women members of the Verkhovna Rada