Viktorija Pogatšava

**Viktorija Artemavna Pogatšava** (Alachusian: *Вікторія Артемавна Погачава*; born 20 July 1984) is an Estian politician and lawyer who has served as justice minister in the cabinet of Kirsti Aalu-Mäkina since 2020. She is a member of the Future Forwards political party, which she also cofounded.

Born in Brinsk, Pogatšava immigrated with her family to Estland in 1986, aged two. Upon arriving in the country, they settled in Mõisama, and Pogatšava grew up in a working-class family. After graduating from secondary school in 2003, Pogatšava moved to Jõgeküla to enroll in Jõgeküla University, receiving her law degree in 2008. After becoming certified to work as a lawyer in Estland, Pogatšava settled in Otesalu, where she began working as a corporate lawyer in the technology sector, specializing in mergers and acquisitions for technology start-ups throughout Eurea. In 2017, she was made a partner at her law firm, but later left her law career in 2020 to enter politics.

Pogatšava first delved into politics in 2018, becoming one of the founders of the Future Forwards political party. Considered to be one of the leaders of the party's early days, she later supported Kirsti Aalu-Mäkina as its inaugural leader. Pogatšava was selected to stand as a candidate in Mõisama County in the 2020 parliamentary election, and was placed as the party's lead candidate in the constituency. She ultimately was elected to parliament, taking her seat in the Saadikutemaja on 20 January 2020, becoming the first Alachusian-born member of Estian parliament. Pogatšava was later nominated to serve as justice minister in Aalu-Mäkina's cabinet, and was appointed on 24 February. She later resigned from the cabinet on 10 December, due to a scheduled maternity leave, and returned to the office on 8 July 2021.

## Early life and education

Pogatšava was born on 20 July 1984 in Brinsk to parents Artem Pogatšav (Alachusian: *Артем Погачав*; born 1965) and Alena Akaranka (Alachusian: *Алена Акаранка*; born 1967). Her parents were unmarried teenagers at the time of her birth, although they later married shortly after, and her mother dropped out of school to raise her full-time. Later on, her father worked as an industrial laborer, while her mother worked as a secretary. Pogatšava is the elder of two children; her younger brother is Artem (born 1988).

When Pogatšava was two years old, in 1986, the family left the Kashan Union and immigrated to Estland, settling in Mõisama. After arriving, her father was hired as a factory worker, and the family became settled as permanent residents. Pogatšava began her education in 1990, attending public schooling in Mõisama, where she learned to speak Estian. After graduating from primary school in 2000, Pogatšava enrolled in a public gymnasium, where she studied a social sciences program. She graduated from gymnasium in 2003, and afterwards enrolled in Jõgeküla University to study law, receiving her law degree in 2008.

## Law career

After graduating with her law degree in 2008, Pogatšava became licensed to practice law in Estland, and later received licensing to practice throughout Eurea in 2011. In 2008, she was hired as an associate attorney in the Otesalu office of the international law firm Luxey Boulding. While at Luxey Boulding, Pogatšava began practicing corporate law specializing in mergers and acquisitions.

Pogatšava left Luxey Boulding in 2013, and was hired as a senior associate at the Urmian office of international law firm Huntley in Otesalu. While at Huntley, Pogatšava altered her legal practice to begin focusing on mergers and acquisitions involving technology start-ups. She was later promoted to counsel in 2014, and was made partner at the firm in 2017. While a practicing attorney, Pogatšava also worked on a number of *pro bono* cases in immigration law, assisting with immigrants attempting to settle legally in Estland. Pogatšava left her law firm in 2020, in order to enter politics.

## Political career

### Early politics

In 2018, Pogatšava was one of eight cofounders of the Future Forwards political party. The party, founded by former political operatives and private sector technology executives, positioned itself as a centrist and liberal political party focused primarily on progressivism and further developing Estland into a technological center of the world. In the early days of the party's foundation, Pogatšava also worked as the party's legal consultant. During the party's first conference, Pogatšava supported Kirsti Aalu-Mäkina as its inaugural leader.

In the lead-up to the 2020 parliamentary election, Pogatšava was selected to stand as a candidate for the party in Mõisama County, as its lead candidate in the constituency. The party ultimately won enough seats in the constituency, and Pogatšava took her seat in the Saadikutemaja on 20 January 2020, becoming the first Alachusian-born member of Estian parliament.

### Justice minister

   Following the results of the 2020 parliamentary election, Future Forwards entered into a governing coalition with the Reform Party, and were able to form their own government. Aalu-Mäkina nominated Pogatšava to serve as justice minister, and she was later appointed to the position in the cabinet by Jarel Köt on 24 February 2020. As justice minister, Pogatšava is responsible for overseeing the legal system, public prosecutors, government investigations, constitutionality, and the prison system.

In July 2020, Pogatšava announced her pregnancy, and that she would begin a six-month long maternity leave, beginning in December 2020. She resigned from her ministerial position on 10 December, and was replaced by Toomas Võõle. In May 2021, it was announced that Pogatšava's maternity leave had been extended for one month due to personal health reasons. She later returned from maternity leave on 8 July 2021, and returned to her office as justice minister.

## Personal life

Pogatšava began a relationship with Estian lawyer Ari Magiik in 2006. They later became engaged in 2010, and married five years later in 2015. Pogatšava has stated that the reason for their five-year engagement was to "determine if [they] truly wanted to be together forever." Pogatšava and Magiik have two children together: Luukas (born 2018) and Anja-Iiris (born 2020).

Pogatšava naturalized as an Estian citizen, along with her family, in 1997. After receiving Estian citizenship, she and her family renounced their Alachusian citizenships. Pogatšava is fluent in Estian, Alachusian, Kashan, and Ditrovian. She identifies as an atheist.