Hennadiy Kernes

children = Kyrylo Kernes Danylo Pryvalov Rodion Haisynskyi education = profession =

Hennadiy Adolfovych Kernes (27 June 1959 ) was a Ukrainian politician who was the 5th mayor of Kharkiv from 24 November 2010 Previously, Kernes served as secretary of the Kharkiv City Council (2002, 2006 – 2010).

Early life Kernes was born into a Jewish family, to Adolf Lazarevych Kernes and Anna Abramovna in Kharkiv. He graduated from the National University "Yaroslav the Wise Law Academy of Ukraine" with a degree in law and from Kharkiv National University of Economics with a degree in public administration.

Business career From 1979 to 1990, Kernes worked for a number of enterprises.

Kernes had a criminal record for theft and fraud; according to him, the accusations were "partly fabricated" by "his enemies".

Political career

In 1998, Kernes was first elected into the Kharkiv City Council, and served three terms there. He came out to condemn the actions taken by the regional governor Yevhen Kushnaryov. In 2006, he was elected to the Kharkiv City Council on the list of the Party of Regions, as a member of the party.

Election video scandal

On September 27, 2007, a video recording how Dobkin’s election speech was prepared in December 2005 was posted on YouTube. A video containing profanity by Hennadiy Kernes was also shown on television. The authenticity of this recording is controversial. Dobkin himself called this video "partially edited". On the first day, the video on YouTube was viewed by about 120 thousand people, The video spawned a huge number of Internet memes in the Russian-speaking segment of the Internet.

Mayor of Kharkiv Hennadiy Kernes took the oath of the Kharkiv mayor, 2010.Prior to Mykhailo Dobkin's 2010 appointment to the post of the head of the Kharkiv regional state administration, Kernes had been the secretary of city council, the acting mayor of Kharkiv (March 2010 – 24 November 2010). In 2010, he had his candidacy nominated for the Party of Regions in the 2010 Ukrainian local elections as mayor of Kharkiv. In October, Kernes was elected as the mayor of Kharkiv by a small, controversial margin.

Kernes was noted for holding a strongly 'pro-Russian' stance and for being a supporter of then-President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych.

Following the Revolution of Dignity, after he and the governor of Kharkiv Oblast, Mykhailo Dobkin, had briefly found refuge in Russia, Kernes was accused of alleged connections to death threats, kidnapping and torturing of participants of Euromaidan in Kharkiv and was subsequently placed under night-time house arrest. This criminal case against him was dropped on 30 July 2014 "due to the serious illness of the suspect". He was accused, in February 2014, by the post-revolutionary leadership of promoting separatism. pivoting to support an undivided Ukraine in line with Kyiv. In March 2014 he stated that he had been a "prisoner of Yanukovych's system" and that he expected "good things to come" from the new Yatsenyuk Government.

Attempted assassination and re-election

On 28 April 2014, Kernes was shot once in the back while hiking by an unknown assailant using a sniper rifle.

Although the wound was life-threatening, doctors performed emergency surgery and were able to stabilize him. The following day Kernes was flown to Israel for further treatment. According to a report by Televiziyna Sluzhba Novyn on 10 May 2014, he was "making a quick recovery"; in the accompanying interview he stated, "I'm in favor of Kharkiv remaining part of Ukraine, and therefore in favor of seeing her flourish". While recovering in Israel, Kernes stated on 11 June 2014 his willingness to cooperate with newly inaugurated Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. On 12 August 2014, he stated "Please remember these people -Kharkiv was, is, and will be part of a single and indivisible Ukraine". Kernes commented on the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea on 23 August 2014, saying "Crimea will return to Ukraine, I believe in it". Kernes returned to Kharkiv on 17 June 2014. Following the incident, he used a wheelchair.

In the October 2015 Kharkiv mayoral election, Kernes was re-elected as a candidate of Revival in the first round of the election with 65.8% of the votes, with a voter turnout of 44.4%. He took office on November 18, 2015. After his re-election, Kernes took a position loyal to the new Kyiv government: he made loud statements, but did not take any measures to protect Soviet monuments.

In December 2018, Kernes said that in the 2019 Ukrainian presidential elections he would vote for Petro Poroshenko, as he had made "quite a lot of effort" to finance and develop Kharkiv.

On June 2, 2019, the founding congress of the new party Trust in Deeds took place in Kharkiv, the two co-chairs of which were chosen as the city heads of Kharkiv and Odesa, Hennadiy Kernes and Gennadiy Trukhanov. thumb Kernes at the Congress of the Opposition Bloc, June 2019In the July 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Kernes was placed in the top ten of the party list of Opposition Bloc. However, the nationwide list of this party won just 3.23% of the votes, failing to overcome the 5% election barrier and keeping Kernes from a seat in the Verkhovna Rada.

In June 2020, Kernes announced that he had been nominated for re-election as Kharkiv mayor under the banner of his new political party, Kernes Bloc — Successful Kharkiv in the October 2020 Kharkiv mayoral election. It was confirmed that he was on sick leave. He did not appear in public afterwards. thumb leftKernes won the 25 October 2020 Kharkiv mayoral election with 60.34% of the votes. Two days later, it was confirmed that Kernes had experienced kidney failure.

Kernes was buried on 23 December 2020 at , where famous Kharkiv residents are traditionally buried.

On 22 August 2021, a memorial plaque was unveiled on the Kharkiv City Council building, where Hennadiy Kernes had served.

Personal life

Kernes' first wife was Oksana Vasilenko; the couple divorced in 1985. His second wife was Oksana (née Haysinskaya). Kernes was a father of three children, In January 2003 Haysinskaya appealed to the police department alleging that Kernes had injured her. Subsequently, Kharkiv billboards appeared with the message "Oksana, I'm sorry!". His Instagram account was described by The New York Times as "eccentric"; Kernes claimed "Of all the mayors, my Instagram account is the best". A video (containing swearing) leaked in 2007 of Kernes instructing Dobkin is famous in Ukraine and has created a few national catchphrases.

Awards The Order of Merit third class (5 July 2012) – For the significant personal contribution to the preparation and conduct of the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship final in Ukraine, successful implementation of infrastructural projects, law and order and public safety guarantee during the tournament, improvement of international Ukraine authority, high professionalism The Kharkiv regional state administration certificate