# Oleksandr Onyshchenko

Oleksandr Romanovych Onyshchenko (Ukrainian: Олександр Романович Онищенко, born March 31, 1969) is a Ukrainian ex-politician, show jumping rider and patron. Onyshchenko was previously a member of the Ukrainian Parliament and a member of pro-Russian Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych’s Party of Regions. In the summer of 2016, while a member of Parliament, Onyshchenko fled Ukraine after he was stripped of immunity by the Parliament of Ukraine and the General Prosecutor Office expressed intention to arrest him due to charges related to alleged corruption and money laundering. In May 2020 Prosecutor's office of Ukraine extradition request was denied by the German court. Since 2016, he has resided in European Union. As of 2019, Onyshchenko was reportedly residing in Spain.
In January 2021, under new administration in the White house Onishchenko, was sanctioned in the United States in connection with his support of Donald Trump during the presidential elections.

## Early life

Oleksandr Onyshchenko was born on March 31, 1969. Some Ukrainian media claim that previously Onyshchenko carried a different family name - Oleksandr Radzhabovych Kadyrov.
He was educated at the Kharkiv Military College of the Rear of the Soviet Ministry of Interior (today the National Academy of the National Guard of Ukraine) and graduated from the National Transport University.
His father was Rajab Kadyrov was a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR, and later was the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Uzbekistan.

## Business career

Onyshchenko started his career in 1990, where he worked in the oil and gas industry. Onyshchenko still owns oil and gas distribution company "GK Gazovy Alyans". Onyshchenko has also been implicated in running a fraud and money laundering scheme that traded approximately US$1.5 billion in illicit assets. Onyshchenko was named as part of the Quickpace deal between Onyshchenko , Pavel Fuchs, and “Prontoservus,” reportedly a front for Serhiy Kurchenko. No investigation ever been launched by the law enforcement agencies following the news publications.
While in exile, Onyshchenko reportedly bought a horse stud farm with intentions to host invitational equestrian tournaments. However, Onyshchenko failed to receive the necessary visa and work permits required to operate such a tournament within Germany. As of 2022 all immigration formalities were cleared in Germany.

## Political career

In 2007, Onyshchenko was appointed as an assistant Minister for Emergencies and affairs in protection of population from the consequences of the Chernobyl Catastrophe (today State Emergency Service of Ukraine). He was first elected as a member of the Ukrainian parliament (Verkhovna Rada) in the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election. In 2012 he was elected to parliament in electoral district 93 (located in Kyiv Oblast) for Party of Regions. In 2014 he was re-elected in the same district as an independent candidate. In parliament he became a member of the parliamentary faction People's Will.

## "Sergiyenko v. Ukraine" European Court of Human Rights (ECHR)

Sergiyenko v. Ukraine is a case adjudicated by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) involving human rights violations during the arrest and detention of a Ukrainian lawyer, Oleksandr Sergiyenko, in 2016. The Court found violations of Articles 3 and 5 § 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights by Ukrainian authorities.

### Background

On November 18, 2016, Oleksandr Sergiyenko, a lawyer representing Oleksandr Onyshchenko, lodged a complaint with the ECHR. Sergiyenko was arrested by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) as part of an investigation into alleged embezzlement and money laundering. During his arrest on September 27, 2016, he sustained injuries, including contusions to his chest, hands, and nose, due to the use of force by NABU officers. The subsequent investigation into his claims was conducted by NABU itself, raising concerns about its independence.

### Details of the Case
#### Violation of Article 3 (Prohibition of Inhuman or Degrading Treatment)

Sergiyenko alleged that he was subjected to ill-treatment during his arrest and that the investigation into his complaint lacked independence and effectiveness. The ECHR found that the investigation was compromised as it was carried out by NABU, the agency involved in the alleged mistreatment. The Court held that this lack of independence violated the procedural obligations under Article 3 of the Convention.

#### Violation of Article 5 § 4 (Right to a Speedy Judicial Review of Detention)

Sergiyenko also complained about the delay in the judicial review of his detention. His appeal against the decision of the Solomyanskyi District Court of Kyiv, which ordered his detention on September 29, 2016, was not heard by the Kyiv Court of Appeal until November 2, 2016, due to delays in transferring the case file. The ECHR ruled that the 28-day delay was excessive and violated his right to a prompt judicial review of detention.

### Court’s Decision

On November 7, 2024, the ECHR ruled:
* A violation of Article 3 in both its procedural and substantive aspects;
* A violation of Article 5 § 4 due to the excessive delay in the judicial review of the detention;
* Awarded Oleksandr Sergiyenko €15,000 in non-pecuniary damages, to be paid by Ukraine within three months.

### Impact and Significance

The judgment emphasizes the need for independent investigations into alleged misconduct by law enforcement agencies and the importance of timely judicial reviews to protect the rights of individuals deprived of their liberty. The case also highlighted systemic issues within the investigative processes of NABU and underscored the necessity of enhancing human rights standards in Ukraine.

## Exile

In 2016, Onyshchenko was accused of corruption by President Petro Poroshenko, whom he accused of corruption. People's Will expelled him in June 2017. His parliamentary immunity was stripped in July 2016.
In Ukraine the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine has charged Onyschenko as the founder and head of a criminal organization, allegedly whose members in the period from January 2014 to June 2016 stole funds during the production and sale of natural gas under joint venture agreements with UkrGasVydobuvannya.
Onyshchenko initially fled to the United Kingdom, then to Germany, and finally Spain, where he reportedly currently resides. In May 2020, Germany refused extradition of Onyshchenko. A court ruling stated it was "likely" that his extradition "would not meet minimum standards of international law on conditions of detention", including the European Convention on Human Rights.
On 11 January 2021, Onyshchenko was put on the US Sanctioned Persons list due to attempt to influence U.S. Presidential elections.

## Show jumping and philanthropy

Onyshchenko became a professional show jumping rider in 2000, when he acquired a stud farm in Belgium. He subsequently purchased another stud farm in Germany. He was the president of the Equestrian Federation of Ukraine from 2002 to 2013. In 2008, he as the president of the Equestrian Federation presented the national team of Ukraine for the first time in the Olympics and competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics (jumping event), the 2012 Summer Olympics (jumping event), and the 2014 Show Jumping World Championships.
In 2013, Onyshchenko bought FC Arsenal Kyiv which at the end of the same year was announced as bankrupt and was withdrawn from the football competitions (see 2013-14 Ukrainian Premier League).
Onyshchenko is the founder and director of "Top Ukraine", a charity to promote "sport, fashion, art and culture in Ukraine". The Top Ukraine organizes such events as Miss Ukraine and Miss Ukraine Universe.

## Personal life

Onyshchenko has two children. Onyshchenko was married to Miss Ukraine 1997 Kseniya Kuzmenko until mid 2009, living mostly in Belgium, and has a child Олександр Olexandr or Sasha (b. 2002) with her. (According to Ukrainian media) in 2009, he was engaged to Ukrainian model Snejana Onopka, but the couple did not marry. Onyshchenko was dating Ganna Rizatdinova, an Olympic award-winning Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast, who is 24 years younger than him. In 2017 their son Roman was born. In 2018, Onyshchenko and Rizatdinova separated.
In August 2016, Onyshchenko moved to London, UK because he feared for his life claiming "president (Petro Poroshenko) organises everything to kill me." He later moved to Spain.
In the Russian register of companies Onyshchenko appears in a February 2021 registration documents as a citizen of Russia.
In May 2022, Onyshchenko was granted Macedonian citizenship. The government of North Macedonia decided to revoke this decision (to grant citizenship to Onishchenko) early December 2022.