Nikolai Nikolaevich Tishchenko: profile and biography.

Date of Birth: May 17, 1972 (52 years old)

Who is he: Restaurateur and showman, independent member of the IX convocation of the Verkhovna Rada, expelled from the "Servant of the People" faction

Nationality: Ukrainian

Height: 185 cm

Marital Status: Divorced

Astrological Sign: Taurus

Social Media: Telegram, Instagram, Facebook

Nikolai Nikolaevich Tishchenko is a Ukrainian politician, restaurateur, and television presenter who gained widespread recognition due to his activities in business and media. He is a people's deputy of Ukraine from the "Servant of the People" party, and he has repeatedly found himself at the center of high-profile scandals throughout his political career. Before entering politics, he was a successful restaurateur, owning a chain of dining establishments in Kyiv and participating in popular television projects. His work in the Verkhovna Rada, including his role as deputy chairman of the faction, along with numerous scandals, including criminal investigations, has made him one of the most discussed figures in Ukrainian politics.

Education

Nikolai Tishchenko was born on May 17, 1972, in Kyiv. His father worked as the director of a household services center, while his mother was a photographer and an employee of that establishment. By Soviet standards, their family was considered well-off.

From an early age, Nikolai was passionate about sports, particularly judo, in which he achieved significant success and earned the title of Master of Sports. In 2008, he became the head of the Kyiv Beach Volleyball Association.

He received his secondary education at specialized school No. 194 "Perspektiva" in Kyiv. Later, he enrolled at the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture, where he obtained a degree in mechanical engineering. Additionally, he completed a military training course and was granted the rank of lieutenant.

Family

Tishchenko has been married three times. His first wife was Larisa Tishchenko, who gave birth to their son Daniil in 2005.

His second marriage was to Ukrainian model Irina Zhuravskaya, who was crowned "Miss Ukraine 2008." Irina is also the niece of Vitaliy Zhuravskyi, a former people's deputy from the Party of Regions and ex-deputy mayor of Kyiv. However, their union was short-lived — the couple divorced after just a year, without having any children together.

Tishchenko's third wife is Alla Baranovskaya, a journalist and model from Donetsk. They got married in 2016, and their son David was born in 2018. In 2019, on the eve of his political career, Tishchenko transferred part of his business to his wife.

However, their family life could not withstand the challenges of distance. In November 2023, Tishchenko initiated divorce proceedings, and in early 2024, the court officially dissolved their marriage. Both cited the inability to live together, as their professional paths took them to different cities.

Business and Media

Nikolai Tishchenko began his career as an entrepreneur in the restaurant business. In the late 1990s, he started actively investing in this sector and subsequently created a chain of restaurants in Kyiv. One of his most famous projects is the restaurant company Nikolay Tishchenko Restaurants, which included elite establishments such as "Velyur" — a restaurant renowned not only for its high level of service but also for the frequent visits of politicians and businessmen; "Richelieu," "Turgenev," "Seif," "Ramazan," and other popular venues in Kyiv.

Tishchenko's business was significantly successful, making him one of the most recognized restaurateurs in the capital. However, his restaurants have often been embroiled in scandals. In particular, during the 2020 quarantine, media reports surfaced that the "Velyur" restaurant continued to operate, hosting guests, including politicians, despite the official ban.

In addition to his business endeavors, Nikolai Tishchenko actively developed his media career. He became well-known to the public as a television presenter and participant in entertainment programs. He gained the most popularity from "Revisor" on "Novy Kanal", where he served as a host, checking the level of service and food quality in eateries across Ukraine. Later, he participated in the "MasterChef" show and other television projects.

Political Activity

Nikolai Tishchenko began his political career in 2019, becoming a candidate for people's deputies from the "Servant of the People" party in the parliamentary elections. As a result of the voting, he won in the 219th electoral district (Svyatoshyn district of Kyiv) and received a mandate as a people's deputy.

In the Verkhovna Rada, Tishchenko held several important positions. He was co-chairman of the inter-parliamentary group for relations with Saudi Arabia and Qatar, served as deputy chairman of the "Servant of the People" faction, and headed the Kyiv city organization of the party. He was also appointed deputy chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Transport and Infrastructure.

Despite legislative restrictions on politicians participating in educational processes, Tishchenko attended ceremonial line-ups at two schools in Kyiv to mark the beginning of the school year after being elected as a people's deputy.

In 2020, he expressed his intention to run for the position of mayor of Kyiv and started his election campaign. However, during the internal primaries of the "Servant of the People" party, he lost to Irina Vereshchuk, who ultimately became the official candidate from the political force.

In January 2023, Tishchenko was expelled from the "Servant of the People" faction after a scandal related to his trip to Thailand during the full-scale war. While in Bangkok, he attempted to explain his visit as a "meeting with the Ukrainian community," but this event caused significant public outcry and outrage. Following this, he was expelled from the "Servant of the People" party.

Interestingly, Nikolai Tishchenko has long-standing connections with the state leadership: he is a close friend of the President's Office head Andriy Yermak and a close friend of President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Scandals and Criminal Cases

Nikolai Tishchenko's activities are often accompanied by high-profile scandals and controversial situations. According to some media reports, in the 1990s, he may have been linked to the criminal underworld of Kyiv. He was associated with one of the largest organized crime groups of that time — "Savlokhi," where he allegedly served as a foreman and had the nickname "Kolia Obolonsky." Journalists reported that the group controlled several Kyiv markets, as well as the "Tourist" and "Slavutych" hotels. Later, after a conflict with the group's leaders, Tishchenko distanced himself from the criminal environment and began actively developing his restaurant business.

Before the 2019 parliamentary elections, he attracted attention with an unusual method of campaigning. Through Instagram, he invited residents of Borshchahivka to free lunches at his restaurants, with entry allowed only for those with Kyiv registration. This raised suspicions of attempted voter bribery.

As a people's deputy, Tishchenko found himself in scandals multiple times. One of the first incidents was his rude response to a journalist from "Radio Svoboda," when he answered her question, "Who are you to control me?" In October 2019, in the Verkhovna Rada, he nearly got into a fight with a deputy from "OPZZH," Nikolai Skoryk, over a question regarding the investigation into the events in Odesa on May 2, 2014.

That same year, his correspondence with the prankster Joker leaked online, in which he, pretending to be Prosecutor General Ruslan Riaboshapko, extracted compromising material on his faction colleagues. In the correspondence, he openly spoke about "traitors" in the party, mentioned "envelope salaries," and even suggested to the "prosecutor general" to jointly enforce party discipline.

In 2020, during the quarantine, Tishchenko called for compliance with restrictions, yet he himself violated them. His restaurant "Velyur" continued to operate, accepting visitors in defiance of the bans. And in the summer of that same year, when an explosion occurred at a residential building in Poznyaki, the deputy arrived at the scene of the tragedy with