Rehina Kharchenko

Rehina Vladyslavivna Kharchenko (; born 21 September 1990) is a Ukrainian politician, lawyer and jurist who is currently serving as mayor of Zaporizhzhia since 24 April 2024.

Early life and education Kharchenko was born on 21 September 1990 in the village of Oktyabrskoye, Pervomaiske district, Crimean region of the Ukrainian SSR (now Kuchuk-Borash, Kurmansky district of Crimea.

In 2013, she graduated from the Yaroslav the Wise National Law University with a degree in jurisprudence.

Career From 2013 to 2015, she was the chief specialist-legal adviser of the Pension Fund of Ukraine in the Zhovtnevo district of Zaporozhzhia.

On 24 April, Kharchenko became the acting Mayor of Zaporozhzhia and secretary of the Zaporozhzhia City Council. By secret ballot, 37 of the 38 present deputies of the Zaporozhzhia City Council voted for the appointment. Kharchenko admitted that this position was offered by the Governor of Zaporizhia Oblast, Ivan Fedorov.

The session and election took place with significant violations of the legislation, which were the first to be noticed by the Zaporizhzhia Center of Investigation. At the same time, on 24 April, former acting mayor Anatolii Kurtiev filed a lawsuit in the administrative court against the Zaporizhia City Council regarding the prohibition of certain actions. But the lawsuit was returned to the plaintiff.

As a result of Kharchenko's election to the post, she was excluded from the deputy faction "Servant of the People" in the Zaporizhia City Council, and deputies who are part of the "Metinvest" influence group received a warning from the regional party organization.

Fedorov calls this a "historic decision." Kurtiev stated that this is due to Fedorov's pressure on self-government bodies in order to individually seize power in the city, and he also complains that Fedorov "baselessly" accuses him of involvement in illegal actions, he conveys these remarks to the President of Ukraine, calling the situation "political coup" in the regional center.