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He drafted the law “On Cybersecurity”: what is known about the new head of the State Special Communications Service (photo)

Brigadier General Oleksandr Potiy has been appointed head of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine. This decision was made by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on Friday, November 15, Komersant ukrainskyi reports.

Oleksandr Potiy has more than 25 years of experience in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, where he worked on issues of communication security and information technology. In addition to his military service, he has over 20 years of experience in academia, is a Doctor of Technical Sciences, a professor, and has made a significant contribution to the development of scientific research. Since 2020, he has served as Deputy Head of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine, responsible for strategic areas of work.

“We continue to guard the security of our country and fulfill the duties assigned to the State Special Communications Service. Currently, our priority is to further strengthen the areas that have been actively developing in the Service both before and after the start of the full-scale invasion,” Potiy said in a statement after his appointment.

What is known about Oleksandr Potiy

Oleksandr Potii was born on April 29, 1971 in Kryvyi Rih (Dnipro region).

Education

In 1993, he graduated from the Kharkiv Higher Military Command and Engineering School of Missile Forces with a degree in Automated Control Systems.

1993-1996 – Kharkiv Military University. Postgraduate studies.

2005-2008 – Kharkiv Air Force University. Doctoral studies.

2013 – National Defense Academy of Poland, Warsaw.

Research, teaching and other activities

Oleksandr Potiy has published more than 130 scientific articles (Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria, Japan, USA), 5 textbooks and monographs, carried out scientific editing and translation of 26 international standards, made more than 130 presentations at international scientific and practical conferences.

In 2008, he received his doctorate in engineering. In 2012, he was awarded the highest academic title of professor.

From 2014 to 2019 – Professor of the Department of Information Systems and Technology Security, Faculty of Computer Science, Kharkiv National University.

2014 – 2020 – Professor of the Department of Computer Systems, Networks and Cybersecurity at the National Aerospace University “KhAI”

Since 2020 – Member of the Supervisory Board of the Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics.

Service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine

From 1993 to 2014, he served in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

In 2022, Oleksandr Potii was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.

After leaving the Armed Forces, he actively joined national and international projects in the field of electronic identification, e-governance, and cybersecurity. He was included in the working group on the preparation of documents and design of electronic identification infrastructure.

As a member of the Public Council of the State Service of Special Communications, he actively contributed to the drafting of the Cybersecurity Strategy of Ukraine and the Law “On the Fundamentals of Cybersecurity of Ukraine” and other legislative acts in the field of information protection.

2000 – 2020 – Deputy Chief Designer for CIP Systems and Facilities at the Institute of Information Technologies PJSC. He designed and maintained complex information security systems in the ITS of Naftogaz of Ukraine, the automated control system of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, banking technologies, information systems of other companies and agencies.

Since 2014, he has been the Deputy Chairman of the Scientific and Expert Council for the Development of the Public
of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.

From 2015 to 2020, he was a member of the Public Council of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection (member of the working committees on information protection and cybersecurity).

Personal life and assets

Oleksandr Potii is married to Maria Petrivna Tyshchenko. He has a stepson, Ivan Portianko. The family has been living in his father-in-law’s 71.5 m2 apartment since 2020.

In addition, the brigadier general, according to his electronic declaration, has a 54 m2 apartment in Sweden, which he acquired ownership of on December 1, 2022.

The current head of the State Service for Special Communications is the owner of a 2017 Toyota RAV 4 Hybrid, which he purchased for UAH 917 thousand.

Oleksandr Potii also has the following monetary assets:

• uAH 1 million 660 thousand 986 on an account with PrivatBank;
• uAH 341 thousand 367 on an account with JSC Sens Bank;
• uAH 2 million in cash;
• uAH 147 thousand 508 on an account with JSC Oschadbank;
• uSD 17 thousand and EUR 2,500 in cash;
• uAH 468 thousand on a pension account;
• uSD 12,573 on an account with PrivatBank.