Vadym Novynskyi

Vadym Novynskyi (Вадим Новинський; born 3 June 1963 ) is a Ukrainian (before May 2012 — a Russian ) businessman, priest and former politician of Armenian descent.

Novynskyi was born on 3 June 1963 in Staraya Russa (then USSR, now Russia).

In 1985, he graduated from the Leningrad Academy of Civil Aviation in engineering management systems.

From 1985 until 1986 he worked for various companies in Russia.

The general public better known him as a Russian oligarch, who made his major fortune in the "dashing 1990s" on privatization of many Ukrainian enterprises.

Novynskyi worked in Ukraine since 1996 starting with Lukoil North West and then buying Ukrainian metallurgy companies.

In 1999, Novinskyi’s companies established the Smart Group company in Dnipropetrovsk.

In early 1999, the Neva Holding company, created by him and partners, acquired a 77% stake in the Bulgarian metallurgical plant Promet at a privatisation tender.

In 2006 they united their Ukrainian metallurgy companies into Smart Holding Group.

In 2007 they exchanged them for a 23.75% stake in Metinvest, in which they are junior partners with Rinat Akhmetov.

On 29 May 2012 Novynskyi obtained Ukrainian citizenship "for distinguished services to the country" under the order of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

Novynskyi lives in Kyiv.

He also has a residence in Saint Petersburg (Russia).

He is the owner of the Ukrainian Smart Holding Group with an estimated net worth of $1.9 billion in March 2013.

He is also a protodeacon as part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) (UOCMP).

As of 2023 he was one of the wealthiest people in Ukraine.

Former member of the Ukrainian Parliament of VII – IX convocations.

Previously as an independent, Novynskyi won the 7 July 2013 by-election in constituency 224 in Sevastopol (located in the southwestern region of the Crimean Peninsula) with 53.41% with a turnout of 23.91%.

Before the election Novynskyi had stated he would join the Party of Regions if he won.

He did so on 5 September 2013.

After the March 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia Novynskyi was banned from entering the peninsula by the Russian-appointed Crimean authorities.

In the October 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election Novynskyi was again re-elected into parliament; this time after placing 11th on the electoral list of Opposition Bloc.

During 2014-2019 Novynskyi was under criminal investigation for "unlawful imprisonment or kidnapping by a conspiracy" and "abuse of power or authority" for allegedly helping President Yanukovych.

In 2015-2019 he represented Ukraine in PACE.

Junior business partner of Rinat Akhmetov.

The main shareholder of Smart Group, the owner of a blocking stake in the metallurgical holding Metinvest and other assets.

On 8 December 2016 parliament deprived Novynskyi of his parliamentary immunity.

In the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election Novynskyi was reelected in parliament as an Opposition Bloc candidate in single-seat constituency 57 (Donetsk Oblast).

Although his parliament seat, along with all his fellow parliamentarians, were suspended during the martial law in effect after Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine started.

In April 2020 was appointed as a deacon (since 2021 — a protodeacon) of the UOCMP.

As of 2023, he was active as a priest in Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Resurrection, Zürich, Switzerland.

He is one of the largest Ukrainian patrons.

The Vadim Novinsky Foundation reportedly provides assistance to medical and rehabilitation centres, as one of the charitable foundations that contribute during the coronavirus pandemic and the Russo-Ukrainian war.

On April 23, 2020, it became known that Metropolitan Onufriy (Berezovsky), Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate), ordained Novinsky as a deacon.

This was not officially reported; unofficially, the date of the ordination was April 7.

Novynskyi served as a deacon for the first time in public at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra on June 7, the Feast of Pentecost.

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Novynskyi declared that he would remain in Ukraine and stated that there are no excuses for the Russian attack.

In April 2023, Ukrainian domestic intelligence and prosecutors searched his group's offices in Kyiv on the suspicion of tax fraud and supporting Russian interests, and blocked assets worth almost 100 million US$.

By 23 April 2023, Novynskyi was reported to work as an Orthodox priest at the Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Resurrection in Zürich, Switzerland.

With partner and fellow billionaire, Andrei Klyamko Novynskyi owns Ukraine's Smart Holding Group.