Oleksandr Kuzmuk

Kuzmuk was born on April 17, 1954 in a family of military officer Ivan Fedorovych Kuzmuk (?-1973) and Rayisa Mykhailivna Kuzmuk in a village of Diatylivka, Slavuta Raion (Khmelnytskyi Oblast). In 1975 he graduated the Kharkiv Higher Armor Command College. In 1975-80 Kuzmuk starting out as a platoon leader of armor forces served until becoming the deputy chief of staff of an armor regiment. In 1980-83 he was an audit student of the Malinovsky Military Armored Forces Academy (Moscow). After that until 1988 Kuzmuk was an instructor at the academy.

In 1988-93 he was in leading positions of mechanized rifle division. From 1975 to 1993 Kuzmuk served in the Group of Soviet Forces in Germany, Belorussian Military District, Moscow Military District, Leningrad Military District, Carpathian Military District and Odessa Military District. In 1993-95 he was a commander of the 32nd Army Corps, senior military chief of Crimea.

In 1995-96 Kuzmuk was a commander of the National Guard of Ukraine and in 1996-2001 - the Minister of Defense. At the end of 2001 he finished his military career and became a politician by participating in the 2002 Ukrainian parliamentary election on the party list of For United Ukraine. Soon after winning some seats in the Verkhovna Rada, For United Ukraine fell apart and Kuzmuk stayed with the Labour Ukraine (an off-shot of the Labour Party of Ukraine). During that time in 2004 he was again appointed the Minister of Defense, while keeping his parliamentary seat. After the Orange Revolution Kuzmuk lost his ministerial seat and was replaced by Anatoliy Hrytsenko.

In the 2012 parliamentary election Kuzmuk was elected into parliament as a member of Party of Regions.[1]

In the 2014 parliamentary election Kuzmuk tried to win a parliamentary seat through winning electoral district 38 situated in Novomoskovsk; but failed when he ended 3rd in the district with 12.78%.[2] The announcement of the final result for electoral district 38 (won by Vadym Nesterenko) was delayed till mid-November because Kuzmuk challenged the results in court claiming Nesterenko was guilty of fraud and bribery of voters.[1]

Kuzmuk has been awarded the following awards and decorations:[3]

• Award of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine for "Valor and Honor"
• Honorary pistol
• Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 1st Class
• Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 2nd Class
• Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 3rd Class
• Order of Danylo Halytsky
• Order of Merit, 3rd Class

• 2014 Crimea crisis

• Unknown kidnapped a Colonel General in Crimea. Espreso. March 5, 2014
• Leadership of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine
• Commanders of the National Guard of Ukraine. National Guard of Ukraine website.