10 Facts About Michel Tereshchenko

Michel Robert Gerard Tereshchenko is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as Mayor of Hlukhiv from 2015 to 2020.

Michel Robert Gerard Tereshchenko was born on 15 September 1954 in Paris, His father was Pierre Terestchenko, while his grandfather was landowner and sugar baron Mikhail Tereshchenko, who served as foreign minister and finance minister of the Russian Provisional Government.

In March 2015 Michel Tereshchenko was granted Ukrainian citizenship by President Petro Poroshenko, and in October of the same year he was elected as mayor of Hlukhiv.

Michel Tereshchenko's victory was widely celebrated on Ukrainian social media, with one user referring to it as "miraculous news".

Michel Tereshchenko struggled to reform Hlukhiv's smuggling-based economy over the next two years, something he attributed to the status of entrenched elites in the city.

Michel Tereshchenko ultimately resigned on 1 October 2018, in line with a campaign promise to only hold office for two years.

Michel Tereshchenko subsequently announced his participation as a candidate in the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election.

Michel Tereshchenko criticised incumbent President Poroshenko, saying that he had not done enough to fight corruption.

Michel Tereshchenko dropped out of the race on 3 January 2019 and instead placed his support behind Andriy Sadovyi, joining the Self Reliance party.

Michel Tereshchenko did not seek re-election in the 2020 Ukrainian local elections, and was succeeded by Our Land candidate Nadia Vailo.