Katerynchuk Mykola Dmytrovych

"Kolya-Buratino" from Altai

A lawyer and politician who built an image of an independent fighter for citizens' rights — yet repeatedly ended up in the shadow of scandals involving other people's money and holding multiple positions simultaneously. Born in the village of Luhove, Altai Krai, Russia. The godfather of his children is Viktor Yushchenko. Member of Parliament of the IV and VII convocations, founder of the "Katerynchuk Bloc" in the Kyiv City Council and the "European Party of Ukraine."

Holding multiple positions and "Kolya-Buratino"

While serving as the first deputy head of the State Tax Administration in 2005, Katerynchuk grossly violated the law by holding an executive government position simultaneously with a parliamentary mandate for six months. His advertising campaign during the Kyiv mayoral elections earned him the nickname "Kolya-Buratino" — and last place among the candidates.

Sponsor from Chernovetsky’s son-in-law and traitors from his own faction

The main sponsor of Katerynchuk's electoral campaign was Vyacheslav Suprunenko — son-in-law of then-mayor Chernovetsky. At the very first session, three out of five deputies from his bloc betrayed him and voted for Chernovetsky’s protégé — despite the pre-election slogan "We will not betray!"