I am a person in the public eye: I was a member of parliament and a presidential candidate. Today I am mayor of the most wonderful city in the world. This city, Kiev, which I love so much, has become dear to me, even though I was born in Kharkov. It happened on the 25th of November in 1951. I grew up without my father and my mother raised me on her own.

I finished secondary school №4 in Kharkov. As I’ve confessed in my book, school was an ordeal for me, because I’ve always had my special view on things and never recognized anyone as an authority. When I was 14 years old, I started working at the Aviation Factory as a fitter, but I had to get a secondary education — it could not be any other way in the Soviet Union. That is why I returned to school and eventually got my school-leaving certificate.

After school I served in the Army. From there they enrolled me in an institute for my excellent service. It was the Law Institute of Kharkov, from which I graduated with honors in 1977. I’m a lawyer by profession. Upon graduation I was transferred to the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Kiev region, where I worked as a chief special investigator for four years until 1981.

On my own initiative, which was unbelievable at that time in the service where I worked, I left the law-enforcement agency and entered a postgraduate course in the Law Institute of Kharkov. Of course it was not easy at all, but I proved to be an excellent student. One good man helped me a lot. In 1984 I wrote my doctoral thesis and started my scientific effort. I have become the youngest vice-chancellor in the history of Taras Shevchenko State University of Kyiv.

I was almost 40 when without any financial support I decided to start my own businesses. I succeeded. I set up a bank which is known throughout the country. I was one of the first in Ukraine to declare huge profits gained by fair means.

After that, I worked in the Verhkovna Rada (Supreme Council) of Ukraine. I became a member of parliament because I believed that we needed a fair and considerate state authority for our people. I introduced a lot of laws, in particular laws on protection of social morality and on reimbursing people for the deposits they lost when the Sberbank (Savings Bank) of the USSR went bankrupt.

My activity, as well as my charity, which I’ve been doing for many years, brought me popularity among people in Kyiv. I realized that a lot of them trusted me, so I decided to run for the position of Mayor in Kiev and Kiev citizens gave me their support. My goal was to make people’s life in Kiev better and I do it today on a daily basis.