Zelensky dismisses Shurma from the post of deputy head of the Presidential Office

Information of the interlocutors [Kommersant] about the dismissal of Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Rostyslav Shurma has been confirmed. On 3 September, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Rostyslav Shurma from his post, reports [Kommersant]

Zelenskyy signed Decree No. 603/2024 today, which was published on the Presidential Office website.

“Dismiss Shurma Rostyslav Ihorovych from the post of Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine,” the document says.

Earlier [Kommersant] reported earlier that Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Rostyslav Shurma might leave his post in the near future.

According to the source Komersant ukrainskyi, the issue of Shurma’s dismissal has been brewing for a long time, ever since his brother Oleh Shurma and other close associates were suspected of running alternative (solar) energy businesses in the occupied territories.

“Although the SBU was not able to confirm the facts of business collaboration with the enemy at the time, a certain distrust of Rostyslav has remained all this time amid a number of other high-profile scandals. Although Shurma is considered to be Andriy Yermak’s man and has been responsible for the economic direction for three years, things have not been going so smoothly between them lately either,” the source summed up briefly .

Instead, Forbes, citing its own sources, reports that Shurma’s replacement
Shurma is likely to be replaced by the current Minister for Strategic Industries , Oleksandr Kamyshyn.

Who is Rostyslav Shurma?

Rostyslav Shurmawas born in 1983 in Lviv. He graduated from the Kyiv National Economic University with a degree in Economic Theory and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy with a degree in Economics and Entrepreneurship.

In 2003-2005, he worked as a financial manager at Procter and Gamble Eastern Europe.

In 2003-2005, he worked as a financial manager at Procter and Gamble Eastern Europe.

In 2006, he joined Metinvest Group. He headed the Strategy Department, worked as CFO of Makiivka Iron and Steel Works, CFO of Metinvest’s Steel and Rolled Products Division, and Deputy Director of Metinvest’s Metallurgical Division.

In 2010, he was elected to the 6th convocation of the Donetsk Regional Council as a member of the Party of Regions, ranking 76th on the list.

In the 4th convocation of the Verkhovna Rada, he was a pro bono assistant to MP Igor Shurma, who is his father.

Since 2012, he has been the CEO of Zaporizhstal. He was a member of the Supervisory Board of Ilyich Iron and Steel Works of Mariupol, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Promet (Bulgaria), and a member of the Board of Directors of Metinvest-Trametal (Italy).

In 2015, he ran for the Zaporizhzhia regional and city councils as the first candidate of the Opposition Bloc. He gave up both mandates at his own request. In the same year, he became the head of the Zaporizhzhia regional party organisation of the Opposition Bloc.

In the same year, MP of the 8th convocation, Ihor Artyushenko, addressed the Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov with a parliamentary inquiry regarding the alleged bribery of voters and the use of administrative resources by Shurma and former candidate for the post of Zaporizhzhia mayor, Buriak.

In 2019, he ran for the Verkhovna Rada as a member of the Opposition Bloc party, 6th on the list.

In the same year, he contributed UAH 893,000 to Oleksandr Vilkul’s election fund. It is also known that he donated UAH 1.45 million to the Dnipro regional organisation of the Opposition Bloc party.

In 2021, according to the Decree of the President of Ukraine, he was appointed a member of the Supervisory Board of the State Concern “Ukroboronprom”.

In the same year, he was a freelance adviser to the Presidential Office.

In 2023, he became a member of the Supervisory Board of Naftogaz.