Valerii Klimenko

Valerii Klimenko (or Klimenco; born 20 September 1953) is a Russian-born Moldovan politician currently serving as a municipal councilor of Chișinău. He is the founder of the Ravnopravie Movement (now the Shor Party), and its honorary chairman.

Biography and career Born in the Sverdlovsk region of the Russian SFSR, he graduated from high school in the city of Poltava, Ukrainian SSR. In 1979, he became a correspondent for the newspaper Moldova Sovietica, and in 1980 he graduated from the Faculty of Journalism at the University of Lviv. In 1990, he obtained a doctorate in history from the same university. Some of his positions led Romanian newspaper Adevărul to describe him as an "anti-Romanian leader". Klimenko opposes the idea of the unification of Moldova with Romania, arguing that it could create a civil war, in which Russia would also participate.

Personal life Klimenko speaks Russian and Ukrainian. He is married and has one child.