Vitalii Kim

Vitalii Oleksandrovych Kim (; born 13 March 1981) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who currently serves as Minister of Veterans' Affairs. Between 2020 and 2026 he was the Governor of Mykolaiv Oblast and head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration.

Biography Vitalii Oleksandrovych Kim was born on 13 March 1981 in Mykolaiv. His father, Oleksandr, is a basketball coach.

Kim graduated from the Mykolaiv Gymnasium No. 2 and the Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding with a degree in enterprise economics.

In 1998, he began to engage in entrepreneurial activity. He was the managing partner of the Ushuaja entertainment complex.

Political activity

In 2019, he was a volunteer of the Mykolaiv branch of the Servant of the People party in the presidential and parliamentary elections. Kim was also the head of the party's election headquarters and campaigned for the city and regional councils.

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kim's role as governor of Mykolaiv Oblast oversaw an ultimately unsuccessful attack from Russian forces. Regarded by Western sources such as The Economist and Le Monde as a charismatic leader, he has held daily video updates of the oblast's situation, which have garnered a following and established him as a popular figure across Ukraine. On 29 March 2022, his office was hit by a Russian missile in an airstrike which killed at least 37 people.

On 16 July 2026 Kim was appointed Minister of Veterans' Affairs of Ukraine as part of the Koretskyi Government.

Personal life

Family He is married to Yulia Vitalivna Kim, and is raising three children.

Alongside Ukrainian, Kim speaks Russian and English, in addition to some French and Korean, the latter owing to his Koryo-saram ancestry.