30 Facts About Mykola Azarov

Mykola Yanovych Azarov is a Ukrainian politician who was the Prime Minister of Ukraine from 11 March 2010 to 27 January 2014.

Mykola Azarov was the First Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister from 2002 to 2005 and again from 2006 to 2007.

In January 2014, after weeks of Euromaidan protests and the 2014 Hrushevskoho Street riots, Mykola Azarov offered his letter of resignation.

Since July 2014, Mykola Azarov has been on the international wanted list for alleged abuse of power.

Mykola Azarov is currently the subject of international sanctions from the US, European Union, Norway, Canada, and Switzerland due to his role in the Euromaidan.

Mykola Azarov was born in Kaluga on 17 December 1947 in the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, to a half-Russian and half-Estonian father, Jaan Pahlo, and a Russian mother, Yekaterina Pavlovna Kvasnikova, as Nikolay Pakhlo.

Mykola Azarov attended the Moscow State University where he earned his doctorate in geology and mineralogy in 1973.

Mykola Azarov worked at the Tulaugol coal enterprise until 1976.

Mykola Azarov moved to Donetsk permanently in 1984 to become deputy director of the Ukrainian State Geological Institute, that he went on to head.

In 1994 Mykola Azarov was elected member of the Verkhovna Rada for the first time, representing the Petroskiy electoral district, located in the city of Donetsk.

In 1995, while carrying on as an MP, Mykola Azarov was appointed an adviser to the currency council of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.

Mykola Azarov was a long-term head of the State Tax Administration.

In 2003 Mykola Azarov was elected chairman of the Party of Regions political council.

Mykola Azarov was appointed First Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister in late November 2002, when the first Yanukovych Government took office.

Mykola Azarov first served as acting prime minister from 7 December 2004 to 28 December 2004, after Yanukovych was put on vacation leave by President Kuchma in the midst of the Orange Revolution.

Mykola Azarov continued as acting prime minister until shortly after the inauguration of Viktor Yushchenko, when Yulia Tymoshenko was appointed prime minister on 24 January 2005.

Mykola Azarov remained a strong political ally of Yanukovych, and again became a member of parliament for the Party of Regions after the 2006 Parliamentary elections.

When Yanukovych became prime minister again on 4 August 2006, Mykola Azarov was elected the First Vice Prime Minister and Finance Minister in the second Yanukovych Government.

Mykola Azarov had headed Yanukovych's election campaign during the 2010 Presidential elections.

On 24 December 2012 the second Mykola Azarov Government was appointed by President Yanukovych.

Mykola Azarov resigned on 28 January 2014 amid heavy riots and the Euromaidan protests.

Mykola Azarov flew to Austria to join family members in a private jet hours after quitting.

On 29 March 2014, during a party congress, Mykola Azarov was expelled from the Party of Regions.

On 3 August 2015, Mykola Azarov announced the creation of the Ukraine Salvation Committee set up outside Ukraine, seeking to have "all citizens, political parties, labor union and social movements to unite and restore order in our home by joint efforts" and to change Ukraine's leadership.

Mykola Azarov claimed he could not name all members of the committee because some lived in Ukraine and it would be dangerous to disclose their names.

Since 3 July 2014, Mykola Azarov is in the international wanted list for abuse of power.

Mykola Azarov's son, Oleksiy, was a constituency candidate in Sloviansk for the Party of Regions during the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election.

Mykola Azarov had the Prime Ministerial office blessed by a priest from Kyiv Pechersk Lavra soon after he was elected prime minister in 2010.

Mykola Azarov stated in March 2010 there were no female ministers in the Mykola Azarov Government because "Reforms do not fall into women's competence", while adding that he greatly respects women.

Mykola Azarov stated in May 2010 that corruption was one of the biggest problems of Ukraine, "We must combat not just instances of corruption, but totally corrupt systems".