Serhiy Poyarkov

Serhiy Volodymyrovych Poyarkov was born on 18 October 1965 in Oster, Chernihiv Oblast. He began his artistic education at the Department of Artistic Design at the Mykhailo Boichuk Kyiv State Academy of Decorative Applied Arts and Design, graduating in 1985. He then pursued further studies, earning a degree from the Ivan Fedorov Ukrainian Polygraph Institute Faculty of Book Art in 1990, and later graduated from the National Academy of Arts of Ukraine Faculty of Graphics in 1995. == Career ==

From 1989 to 1991, Poyarkov worked in the press, contributing to magazines like Ogonek and Yunost, and newspapers such as Sobesednik and Komsomolskoye Znamya. He also illustrated books for publishing houses in Kyiv and began gaining international recognition with publications in Czechoslovakia, Sweden, and Bulgaria. In 1990, he won the prestigious main prize at the International L. Ron Hubbard Illustrator's Competition in Los Angeles. Between 1991 and 1992, he worked as a book illustrator in the United States, where he also claimed the Grand Prix at the "992 Fandom Directory" contest. Simultaneously, he worked in Kyiv in advertising, book illustration, and design. Throughout the 1990s, Poyarkov participated in numerous prestigious exhibitions worldwide. In 1992, he showcased his work at the 53rd World Con Art Show in Glasgow. In 1993 and 1994, he won second place at the 54th World Con Art Show in Los Angeles and received an award for the best set of works. His exhibitions continued across global venues, including World Con events in San Antonio (1997) and Baltimore (1998), as well as Dragon Con in Atlanta, where he received the "Best in Show" award. Other notable exhibitions included group shows in Germany and personal exhibitions in Kyiv and New York. His works were also acquired by the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University, further cementing his international acclaim. Additionally, his artwork was shown in France and Germany. == Political career ==

Over the years, he worked as an assistant to various members of the Verkhovna Rada across multiple convocations: during the , he assisted Ihor Hryniv of the Our Ukraine Bloc; in the V convocation, he worked with Serhii Osika from the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc; and again in the VI convocation with Hryniv, now also with the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc. In the VII convocation, he served as assistant to non-factional deputy Oles Donii; in the VIII, to Dmytro Yarosh, also non-factional; and in the IX convocation, he worked with Andriy Parubiy of European Solidarity. == Controversies ==

Prioritising sales over parliamentary duties Poyarkov's head to the Verkhovna Rada was accused by the media of selling his sculptures and paintings rather than serving as the MP's aide. Data indicates that over a hundred officials and MPs, including Vitali Klitschko and Oleksiy Azarov, the son of former Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, bought his work. According to the media, his sculptures cost ₴7000, while the paintings cost ₴10,000. Even the direct question of whether Poyarkov made a million dollars on the deputies was posed to him. The artist responded by saying, "The amount of your forecast is significantly underestimated." On 16 January 2014, the Pecherskyi District Court of Kyiv ruled to revoke Poyarkov's driver's licence for six months and imposed a court fee of ₴36.54. The decision, issued by judge Viktor Kytsyuk, found Poyarkov guilty of an unspecified offence. Following the verdict, Poyarkov announced his intention to appeal. This ruling came just one day after another Automaidan activist, Serhii Khazhinov, was similarly banned from driving for three months by the Holosiivskyi District Court. Threats to the president In 2019, Poyarkov caused controversy on his programme Poyarkov NEWS by calling President Volodymyr Zelenskyy an "uneducated green chm" who needed to be "educated." This prompted the National Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting to launch an investigation into the channel for insulting the president’s dignity. Zelenskyy filed a lawsuit against Poyarkov, and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) later suspected him of threatening the president’s life, which led to a criminal case. Poyarkov was released under personal obligation, and despite at least six court hearings, neither Poyarkov nor Zelenskyy were questioned. In a related act of protest, Poyarkov painted the slogan "Zelya – kh#ylo" on his fence in support of Oleksandr Tarnavskyi, a local Natskorpus leader who had been accused of hooliganism for using the same phrase. Police responded but took no further action. In January 2020, the SBU filed a lawsuit against Poyarkov under Part 1 of Article 346 of the Criminal Code, which provides for up to five years in prison for threatening the president. The Shevchenkivskyi District Court in Kyiv later discharged Zelenskyy's case against Poyarkov on personal duty. == Personal life ==

Poyarkov is married to Irina Poyarkova, == Honours and awards ==

Poyarkov has been awarded the following: • Writers and Illustrators of the Future Gold Award (1991) ==References==