Oleksandr Kikhtenko

Oleksandr Kikhtenko is a Ukrainian military leader and politician. He is a career officer of the Internal Troops of Ukraine and a General of Army of Ukraine (2008).

Oleksandr Kikhtenko
Governor of Donetsk Oblast
In office 10 October 2014 – 11 June 2015
President	Petro Poroshenko
Preceded by	Serhiy Taruta (acting)
Succeeded by	Pavlo Zhebrivskyi
Personal details
Born	(1956-04-05) 5 April 1956 Bohodukhiv, Kharkiv Oblast, Soviet Union
Alma mater	Frunze Military Academy (1991)
Military service
Allegiance	Soviet Union  Ukraine
Branch/service	Internal Troops
Years of service	1974-2010
Rank	General of the Army
Commands	Internal Troops

He served in the army since 1974 first in the Soviet Army and then in the Ukrainian Army. In 1978 Kikhtenko graduated the Frunze College of General Command (Omsk). In 1991 he graduated the faculty of intelligence of the M. V. Frunze Military Academy (Moscow).

After fall of the Soviet Union, Kikhtenko continued to serve for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and was a chief of the Internal Troops administration in Zaporizhia Oblast. Since February 2005 he served as a Commander of the Internal Troops of Ukraine. During the presidential period of Viktor Yushchenko, in 2007-2008 and 2010 Kikhtenko unprecedentedly was a member of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine.

After election of Viktor Yanukovych as President of Ukraine in 2010, Kikhtenko was fired and retired from military service. On 10 October 2014 newly elected President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko appointed Kikhtenko as a governor of Donetsk Oblast.[1] In 2014 he also topped the party list of the Strength and Honor party for the Ukrainian parliamentary election.

On 11 June 2015 Kikhtenko was dismissed as a governor and replaced by Pavlo Zhebrivskyi.[2]