Kholodov Andriy Ivanovych

Tobacco Magnate in the Verkhovna Rada: From Business to High Politics

Andriy Kholodov is a Ukrainian entrepreneur and former Member of Parliament of Ukraine of the 9th convocation representing the "Servant of the People" party. He was born on August 20, 1972, in Kremenchuk and obtained higher education at the Kyiv National Transport University. Before entering politics, he was actively engaged in the distribution of tobacco products, real estate, and construction. In 2019, he successfully entered parliament at number 22 on the ruling party's list and held the influential position of deputy chairman of the Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy.

Medvedchuk's Godfather, "Tobacco Lobbying," and Secret Departure to Cyprus

Andriy Kholodov's political and business career was accompanied by numerous high-profile investigations by journalists and anti-corruption bodies. Initially, the press exposed his close family ties to pro-Russian forces, as Kholodov's wife is the godmother of Oksana Marchenko, and Viktor Medvedchuk baptized their children. Later, an investigation by the program "Schemes" proved that the politician's family controls a large network of cigarette kiosks, leading to accusations of lobbying legislative amendments to increase profits for tobacco retailers. The National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) officially recognized these actions as a direct conflict of interest. Meanwhile, journalists discovered that his family owns an undeclared elite villa in Vienna worth millions of euros. The final and loudest scandal erupted when it became known that at the beginning of the year, the MP secretly left Ukraine and was absent from Verkhovna Rada sessions for over six months, living luxuriously in Cyprus. Following intense public outcry and official press investigations, Kholodov was forced to submit a resignation letter and prematurely relinquish his parliamentary mandate.