Oleksii Arestovych
Олексій Арестович
Arestovych in 2022
Adviser to the
Office of the President of Ukraine
In office
1 December 2020 – 17 January 2023[1]
PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy
Speaker of the
Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine
In office
28 October 2020 – 22 February 2022
Personal details
Born
Alexey Nikolaevich Arestovich

(1975-08-03) 3 August 1975
Dedoplistsqaro, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
(now Georgia)
NationalityUkrainian
Political partyIndependent
Other political
affiliations		Brotherhood (2005–2010)
SpouseAnastasia Hrybanova
Childrendaughters Aelita and Veronika, son Alexander
Alma mater
OccupationUkraine's Presidential Office adviser, intelligence officer, actor, blogger, analyst, translator, politician
Awards
WebsiteHis YouTube channel
Military service
AllegianceUkrainian Armed Forces
Branch/service1) Chief Directorate of Intelligence
2) 72nd Mechanized Brigade
Years of service1994–2005, 2018–2019
RankLieutenant Colonel

Oleksii Mykolaiovych Arestovych[lower-alpha 1][2] (Ukrainian: Олексій Миколайович Арестович; born 3 August 1975) is a former military officer, blogger and columnist. He was a speaker of the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine. He worked as a Strategic Communications Adviser of the Office of the President of Ukraine from December 2020 to January 2023.

Early life

Oleksii Arestovych was born in Dedoplistsqaro, Georgia.[3] His father was a Belarusian Pole and mother a Russian from Voronezh Oblast, Arestovych spent a significant part of his childhood in Belarus.[4][5] In 1992, he graduated from school No. 178 in Kyiv.

He entered the Faculty of Biology, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. In 1993, Arestovych began to perform in the modern Kyiv studio theatre Black Square Theater,[6] and left school.

He started conducting psychological seminars and trainings in 2000.[7] In 2003, he entered the author's school "Man among People" by psychologist Absalom Podvodny, from which he graduated in 2010.[8] He also studied theology at the Superior Institute of Religious Sciences of St. Thomas Aquinas.

He is an active blogger, with almost 200,000 followers on Facebook[9] and more than 1.2 million (April 2022) on YouTube. Arestovych was among the top 100 bloggers in Ukraine in a poll published by Fakty ICTV in 2019.[10]

Military career

According to data that need further confirmation, from 1994 to 2005 he worked in the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine and is a reserve lieutenant colonel.[11][12][13][14]

Since 2014, he has been preparing combat units under the People's Reserve program,[15] organizer of a charity fund to provide psychological support to the military in the Anti-terrorist Operation Zone (2014–2017).

From September 2018 to September 2019, he served in the Joint Forces Operation near Kramatorsk in the 72nd Mechanized Brigade as an intelligence officer.[16]

Political career and positions

In June 2009, he was appointed deputy head of the Prymorskyi District Administration of the Odesa City Council,[17] but he was dismissed after three months at his own request.[18]

On 28 October 2020, Arestovych was appointed by Leonid Kravchuk as Adviser on Information Policy[19][20][21] and official speaker of the Ukrainian delegation to the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine at the Minsk talks on resolving the war in Donbas.[20][22][23] On 1 December 2020, the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak appointed Oleksiy Arestovych his freelance adviser on strategic communications in the field of national security and defense.[24][25][26] Kravchuk, the head of the Trilateral Contact Group, noted that Arestovych's candidacy was chosen because of his military experience and the presence of a vision and position on issues that are the subject of the Trilateral Contact Group.[27]

After the start of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Arestovych became known for his correct prediction in 2019, that Russia would invade Ukraine between 2022 and 2024.[28][29] From the start of the invasion on 24 February 2022, he held daily briefings on the situation, as an adviser to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.[30][31] These videos garnered him a significant following.[32]

He also held informal daily conversations covering the invasion on lawyer Mark Feygin's YouTube channel.[33] On 13 August 2023 Feygin wrote on his Telegram channel that they will no longer hold their talks.[34]

Arestovych is an organizer of psychological seminars and trainings and a charity fund for psychological support to the military.[35]

In August 2022, Arestovych announced that he plans to run for the presidency of Ukraine if Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not run for a second term.[36][37]

On 14 January 2023, Arestovych made an erroneous comment that a Russian Kh-22 missile had destroyed a multi-story residential building in Dnipro after being hit by a Ukrainian air defence counterattack.[38][39] On 16 January 2023 Russian President Vladimir Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said Arestovych's 14 January explanation about what happened in Dnipro was plausible and put the blame for the destruction on the Ukrainian side. Following the outrage regarding Arestovich's comments, he apologized and resigned on 17 January 2023.[40][1][38]

In November 2023 Arestovych argued that next Ukrainian elections should be conducted in March 2024 despite the ongoing war in order to legitimize the leadership of the country.[41] He previously criticized Volodymyr Zelensky and his administration of making inadequate decisions and strategic mistakes during the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive.[42] He later left Ukraine saying that he fears being arrested.[41]

Criminal cases

Belarus

On 17 March 2022, the General Prosecutor's Office of Belarus opened a criminal case against Arestovych, under Part 3 of Article 361 of the Criminal Code of Belarus “for calls for terrorist attacks” at the facilities of the Belarusian Railway.[43] On 27 July, Arestovych’s pages on social networks were included in the Belarusian list of extremist materials by decision of the Leninsky District Court of Mogilev.[44]

Russia

On 11 May 2023, Rosfinmonitoring included Arestovych on the country's list of terrorists and extremists.[45] On 3 October 2023, Arestovych was put on the wanted list by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.[46]

Ukraine

Due to a complaint from People's Deputy of Ukraine Inna Sovsun, an investigation has been opened into Arestovych for comments that allegedly promoted violence against women in a video published on his YouTube channel on 25 September 2023.[42][47] A second investigation was opened into Arestovych for knowingly filing a false report of a crime; Arestovych had previously filed a complaint with Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation about "incitement to national hatred and enmity on the basis of language" by MP Nataliya Pipa due to her criticism of a teenager singing Russian-language songs in Lviv.[48]

Notes

  1. ↑ Also spelled as Oleksiy.

References

  1. 1 2 "President's office dismisses Arestovych from adviser position". Ukrainska Pravda. 17 January 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  2. ↑ ROMANIZATION OF UKRAINIAN. BGN/PCGN 2019 Agreement.
  3. ↑ #UKRAINERUSSIAWAR. The thousand faces of Zelenskiy’s military adviser: Oleksiy Nikolaevich Arestovich, news agc communication. Aprile 12, 2022
  4. ↑ «Мы ня хочам страляць у беларусаў», — дарадца кіраўніка Офісу Зяленскага Аляксей Арастовіч ["We don't want to shoot at Belarusians", says adviser to the Office of Zelensky, Oleksiy Arestovych] - Radio Svaboda, 2 March 2022
  5. ↑ Арестович LIVE № 10. Психологія, філософія // Alexey Arestovych. — 1:07:40—1:08:10. (in Russian)
  6. ↑ "Black Square (Черный Квадрат)". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  7. ↑ "Арестович Алексей - Тренинги и семинары". www.trn.ua. Archived from the original on 13 September 2013.
  8. ↑ "Увернуться от укуса кобры — DSnews.ua". www.dsnews.ua (in Russian). 25 July 2008. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  9. ↑ Про роботу в ТКГ, Зеленського і «таємниці, які нікому не розказував»: Олексій Арестович у «Рандеву»
  10. ↑ "Факти ICTV запускають голосування ТОП-100 блогерів України 2019". ФАКТИ ICTV (in Ukrainian). 6 September 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  11. ↑ "Новий спікер української делегації у ТКГ: Хто такий Олексій Арестович і що про нього відомо". Archived from the original on 16 November 2020. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  12. ↑ "Спікером української делегації з питань Донбасу став Арестович". Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  13. ↑ Олексій Арестович (речник ТКГ) у Рандеву з Яніною Соколовою, Ютуб, 21 листопада 2020
  14. ↑ "Арестовичу присвоили звание подполковника". www.unian.net (in Russian). Retrieved 19 April 2022.
  15. ↑ Як «янголи Тайри» рятують життя на передовій: розповідь легендарного парамедика
  16. ↑ ""Є свідки": Арестович заявив про 33 свої бойові виходи у зоні ООС, але розкрити подробиці відмовився". nv.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  17. ↑ "Замглавы Приморской райадминистрации Одессы стал человек с говорящей фамилией". Timer-Odessa. 4 June 2009. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022.
  18. ↑ "Order of the Odesa Mayor No. 1146/K-01". omr.gov.ua. 8 September 2009. Archived from the original on 3 March 2022.
  19. ↑ Арестовича призначили радником делегації у ТКГ з інформаційної політики
  20. 1 2 Арестович заявив, що його призначили радником української делегації в ТКГ з інформполітики
  21. ↑ Prisyazhnyuk, Vladislava (28 October 2020). "Радником делегації з інформаційної політики в ТКГ призначили Арестовича". Crimea.suspilne.media. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  22. ↑ "Арестович став офіційним речником української делегації в ТКГ". 28 October 2020.
  23. ↑ Речником української делегації в ТКГ призначили Олексія Арестовича
  24. ↑ "Керівник Офісу Президента призначив Олексія Арестовича позаштатним радником з питань стратегічних комунікацій у сфері нацбезпеки та оборони". ПРЕЗИДЕНТ УКРАЇНИ ВОЛОДИМИР ЗЕЛЕНСЬКИЙ Офіційне інтернет-представництво. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  25. ↑ Єрмак призначив Арестовича своїм позаштатним радником з питань стратегічних комунікацій у сфері оборони
  26. ↑ "Єрмак призначив Арестовича своїм позаштатним радником". Pravda.com.ua. 28 October 2020. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  27. ↑ Кравчук о назначении Арестовича: «Я не знаю, кто первый сказал А, но знаю, что никто не возражал»
  28. ↑ "Zelenskyi's spokesperson: soldier, actor, psychologist, propagandist". openDemocracy. 26 April 2022.
  29. ↑ "Oleksiy Arestovych and his prediction of Russian aggression (2019) - EN subtitles". YouTube.
  30. ↑ "Servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other law enforcement agencies do not yield to the Russian troops and oppose them - Adviser to the Head of the Office of the President". president.gov.ua. Office of the President of Ukraine. 24 February 2022.
  31. ↑ "Russia-Ukraine fail to reach deal on cease-fire; UN says civilian deaths are climbing". cnbc.com. CNBC. 10 March 2022.
  32. ↑ "LGBT People Demand the Release of Arestovich for His Homophobic Remarks. Video". Tablo ID (in Ukrainian). 21 June 2022.
  33. ↑ "Feygin Live - Youtube Channel". YouTube.com. Retrieved 25 August 2022.
  34. ↑ "Арестович и Фейгин больше не будут делать традиционных совместных эфиров. Что случилось?". Nasha Niva.
  35. ↑ Справа Шеремета та зустріч Зеленського з Путіним — Прогнози Арестовича
  36. ↑ Новости, Р. И. А. (11 August 2022). "Арестович заявил о намерении идти в президенты Украины". РИА Новости (in Russian). Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  37. ↑ "Арестович заявил о готовности баллотироваться в президенты Украины (видео)". ФОКУС (in Russian). 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  38. 1 2 "Arestovich apologized for the words about the explosion in Dnieper through the Ukrainian air defense, but dismissed the apology". Ukrainian News Agency (in Ukrainian). 15 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  39. ↑ "The Prosecutor General's Office named the unit of the Russian Federation, which launched a rocket at home in Dnipro". Ukrainska Pravda (in Ukrainian). 15 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  40. ↑ "Арестович звільняється з ОП після скандального коментаря про ракету у Дніпрі". ipress.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  41. 1 2 "'I don't want them to turn Ukraine into Putin's Russia' Oleksii Arestovych is gearing up to run for the Ukrainian presidency, promising voters peace with Moscow". Meduza. 9 November 2023. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
  42. 1 2 Kilner, James (15 October 2023). "Ukraine's counter-offensive is a 'disaster', says former Zelensky adviser". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  43. ↑ "В Белоруссии завели дело против советника главы офиса Зеленского" [Belarus announces a criminal case against the adviser of Zelensky]. РБК. 17 March 2022. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  44. ↑ "В Беларуси признали соцсети Арестовича экстремистскими" [Belarus announces social media of Arestovych as extremist material]. Novoye Vremya. 3 August 2022. Archived from the original on 4 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  45. ↑ Araz Salekhov (11 May 2023). "Арестович включен в перечень террористов" [Arestovych included in the list of terrorists]. Vechernyaya Moskva. Archived from the original on 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  46. ↑ "Российские власти объявили в розыск Алексея Арестовича" [Russian authorities have announced Oleksii Arestovych as wanted]. Meduza (in Russian). Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  47. ↑ "В Киеве возбудили уголовное дело в отношении Арестовича, предложившего «душить женщин»". Meduza.
  48. ↑ "Police probing former Zelenskyy advisor Arestovych over false crime report". Yahoo News. 16 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
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