Maria Gaidar

Ukrainian politician (born 1982)

"DA!" redirects here. For the Chicago post-punk band, see DA! (band).

In this name that follows East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is  Yegorovna and the family name is  Gaidar.

Mariya Gaidar

Мария Гайдар

Gaydar in December 2008

Advisor to President of Ukraine
In office
28 March 2017 – 17 May 2019
President| Petro Poroshenko
Deputy of the Odesa Oblast of the council
In office
30 May 2015 – 11 June 2018
Vice-Governor of Odesa Oblast
In office
17 July 2015 – 10 May 2016
President| Petro Poroshenko
Governor| Mikheil Saakashvili
Deputy governor of Kirov Oblast
In office
23 July 2009 – 8 June 2011
President| Dmitry Medvedev
Governor| Nikita Belykh
Personal details
Born|

Maria Yegorovna Smirnova

(1982-10-21) 21 October 1982 (age 42)
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Parent(s)| Yegor Gaidar (deceased)
Irina Smirnova
Alma mater| Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration
Kutafin Moscow State Law University
Occupation| politician

Mariya Gaidar's voice

Gaidar on the Echo of Moscow program, 16 August 2007

Maria Yegorovna Gaidar (Ukrainian: Марія Єгорівна Гайдар;Russian: Мария Егоровна Гайдар, 1990–2004 Smirnova (Russian: Смирно́ва);[1] born 21 October 1982) is a Ukrainian politician.

Gaidar served as the Deputy Prime Minister of the Kirov region of Russia.[2]

She founded the Social Assistance and Population Support Foundation, "Social Request".[3]

She has served as Advisor to the Chairman of the Odesa regional state administration in social protection and health, the Deputy head of administration of Odesa region on social issues and Deputy of the Odesa regional council and external adviser to the President of Ukraine.[4]

## Early life

[edit]

Maria Gaidar was born in Moscow to a prominent political and literary Russian family. She is the daughter of former Russian Prime Minister, Yegor Gaidar.[5] On her paternal side, she is a granddaughter of Soviet admiral Timur Gaidar, daughter of Leah Lazarevna Solomyanskaya and a great-granddaughter of famous Soviet writers Arkady Gaidar and Pavel Bazhov. Through Arkady Gaidar, she is a descendant of Russian aristocratic Salkova family. Through the Salkova family, she is a descendant of Mikhail Lermontov. She is step-daughter of the daughter of writer Arkady Strugatsky. Her parents divorced in 1985, when she was three years old. She stayed with her mother, Irina Smirnova. In 1991 the family moved to Toronto, Canada, where they lived for five years. In 1996 she returned to Moscow.

In 2005 Gaidar graduated summa cum laude from the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.[6][7]

## Career

[edit]

### In Russia

[edit]

Maria Gaidar and Ilya Yashin placing a banner under the Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge, 2006

In 2005, Gaidar became founder and coordinator of the pro-democracy social youth movement "Democratic Alternative" ("Da!"). She was one of the leaders of The Other Russia organization and, following in her father's footsteps, the Union of Right Forces party. She has been a fierce critic of Putin's government and has been briefly detained for involvement in dissenters' marches and for hanging a 30ft banner from under a Moscow bridge using mountaineering gear that read "Return the elections to the people, bastards!"[8][9][10][11][12][13][14] During the 2008 Russian presidential election, Gaidar produced numerous video materials in which Vladimir Putin was depicted as the anti-Christ leading the world to a nuclear apocalypse.[15]

In February 2009, Gaidar became an advisor to the new governor of Kirov Oblast, Nikita Belykh, and on 23 July she was confirmed as a deputy governor in Kirov Oblast.[16] In June 2011, Gaidar announced that she would resign as adviser due to her admission to Harvard University.[17] In December 2012, she became an adviser to Moscow Deputy Major for Social Affairs Leonid Pechatnikov [ru].[18] In November 2013, she resigned from the Government of Moscow.[19] On 16 July 2015, Gaidar founded the Social Assistance and Population Support Foundation, "Social Request", a non-profit organization.[20] In 2015, she threatened to renounce her Russian citizenship, planning to become an Israeli citizen under the Law of Return and to move to Israel.[21] However, she subsequently said that she wished to retain her Russian citizenship, and to keep three citizenships – Russian, Ukrainian and Israeli.

### In Ukraine

[edit]

On 17 July 2015, Gaidar accepted an offer from Mikheil Saakashvili and became a vice-governor of Odesa Oblast in Ukraine.[22][23] Her practical work has been as a fixer combating fraud and ensuring that vital social functions run smoothly.[24] She received Ukrainian citizenship on 4 August 2015.[25][26][27] This she described in September 2015 as "It didn't feel good at all....But for me to be here, now, and to be here completely, it's important."[24] A few days after her appointment Gaidar stated she wants to retain her Russian citizenship, adding "In the future I hope that Russia will be a democratic country and it will be possible to go back and work there." Ukrainian law prohibits dual citizenship and only Ukrainian citizens can serve as appointed public officials. Gaidar has indicated she would be willing to serve on Saakashvili's team as an adviser or volunteer (functions open to foreigners).[28][29]

On 20 July, she believed that annexation of Crimea is illegal, and should be returned to Ukraine, but doesn't know how can it be done.[30]

Various Russian public figures criticized Gaidar's decision: Russian politician, Vitaly Milonov, requested an investigation of Maria Gaidar for high treason, the leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, Vladimir Zhirinovsky, proposed forbidding Gaidar from returning to Russia,[31] while Russia's Commissioner for Human Rights, Ella Pamfilova, announced that the Russian government would freeze grants to Gaidar's charity Sotsialny Zapros. Sotsialny Zapros itself stated that Gaidar had already stepped down as the organization's head the previous week and that the NGO had voluntarily and formally already refused all government grants.[28][32]

In the October 2015 Odesa regional election Gaidar was elected into the Odesa Oblast parliament for Petro Poroshenko Bloc.[33] Gaidar resigned as deputy governor after a new law barring a regional lawmaker being simultaneously a civil servant took effect on 1 May 2016.[34] Gaidar resigned her seat in Odesa Oblast's legislature on 10 June 2018, the assembly unannounced on June 12 that it had relieved Gaidar of her duties as a lawmaker at her request.[35]

On 5 April 2017 Gaidar was appointed an adviser of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.[36]

## Personal life

[edit]

Gaidar is fluent in English, German, Spanish and her native Russian.[37][38] In 2011, she was admitted to Harvard University for a Mid-Career Masters in Public Administration, where she studied for 8 months.[17] In 2014 she graduated from Kutafin Moscow State Law University.[7]

Gaidar has one daughter. In 2014 she and her daughter moved to Israel because she was afraid that she would lose custody of the child if a criminal investigation into Gaidar were to be launched in Russia.[39]

After having lived and worked in Ukraine for seven years Gaidar and her daughter relocated to Israel in March 2022 following the 24 February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine (via Poland, as part of the stream of refugees following the invasion).[39]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Гайдар, Мария [Gaidar, Maria]. Lenta.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 13 April 2010. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
2. ^ Биографии членов правительства | Гайдар Мария Егоровна [Biographies of government members | Gaidar Maria Egorovna] (in Russian). Government of the Kirov region. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
3. ^ Полиция Москвы сорвала автопробег за бесплатные парковки [Moscow Police dispupted the rally for free Parking] (in Russian). RBC. 19 October 2014. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015.
4. ^ Мария Гайдар стала советником Петра Порошенко [Maria Gaidar became an adviser to Poroshenko] (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 5 April 2017. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
5. ^ Franchetti, Mark (7 August 2005). "Daughters of two Putin opponents take on Kremlin". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 23 November 2008.
6. ^ Гайдар в тройке СПС [Gaidar in the top three SPS] (in Russian). APN. 28 August 2007. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
7. ^ a b Биография Марии Гайдар [Biography of Maria Gaidar] (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 19 July 2015. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
8. ^ "Eye on Russia: Guests". CNN. 29 June 2007. Archived from the original on 28 October 2007.
9. ^ Stack, Megan K. (25 November 2007). "Kasparov is jailed after Moscow rally". Los Angeles Times.
10. ^ Savina, Ekaterina; Kozenko, Andrei (16 April 2007). "Dissenters Crushed". Kommersant. Archived from the original on 19 May 2007.
11. ^ Mulin, Sergei (16 July 2011). "Last samurais without Khakamada". Novaya Gazeta. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011.
12. ^ "Putin critics, fans take campaign battle to the internet". The Sydney Morning Herald. 27 November 2007.
13. ^ Baker, Peter; Finn, Peter (15 July 2006). "To Dismay of Some, Bush Takes Gentler Approach Toward Putin". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017.
14. ^ Skillings, Jonathan (13 December 2006). "When computers write obits". CNET.
15. ^ Is Putin the Antichrist? on YouTube
16. ^ Мария Гайдар утверждена заместителем губернатора Кировской области [Maria Gaidar approved as Deputy Governor of the Kirov Region]. Kommersant (in Russian). 23 July 2009. Retrieved 28 July 2009.
17. ^ a b Gaidar, Maria (8 June 2011). "Weblog of Maria Gaidar". LiveJournal. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
18. ^ М.Гайдар реализует в системе здравоохранения Москвы кировский опыт [M. Gaidar implements the Kirov experience in the Moscow healthcare system] (in Russian). RBC. 28 December 2012. Archived from the original on 22 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
19. ^ Мария Гайдар ушла из правительства Москвы [Maria Gaidar resigned from the Moscow government]. Lenta.ru (in Russian). 5 November 2013. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
20. ^ О фонде [About the Foundation]. Social Request (in Russian). Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
21. ^ Мария Гайдар отказалась от российского гражданства [Maria Gaidar renounced Russian citizenship] (in Russian). NTV. Archived from the original on 26 March 2017.
22. ^ "Controversial Russian politician named deputy in Ukraine". Agence France-Presse. 19 July 2015. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
23. ^ Мария Гайдар стала вице-губернатором Одесской области [Maria Gaidar becomes vice-governor of the Odesa region]. Kommersant (in Russian). 17 July 2015. Archived from the original on 19 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
24. ^ a b McGrane, Sally (4 September 2015). "Maria Gaidar, a Scion of a Famous Russian Family, Switches Loyalty to Ukraine". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2015. "Things like an online listing of available kindergarten spots to eliminate the hefty bribes parents now pay, and keeping the electricity running in Soviet-era sanitariums housing disabled refugees from war-torn eastern Ukraine."
25. ^ Мария Гайдар получила гражданство Украины [Maria Gaidar received Ukrainian citizenship] (in Russian). Meduza. 4 August 2015. Archived from the original on 27 September 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
26. ^ Мария Гайдар попросила предоставить ей украинское гражданство [Maria Gaidar asked for Ukrainian citizenship] (in Russian). Gazeta. 17 July 2015. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
27. ^ Мария Гайдар объяснила свой выбор в пользу Украины [Maria Gaidar explained her choice in favour of Ukraine] (in Russian). TV Rain. 18 July 2015. Archived from the original on 19 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
28. ^ a b "Divisions Revealed as Kremlin Critic Moves to Work for Ukraine Government". The Moscow Times. 20 July 2015.
29. ^ Памфилова заморозит выделение фонду Марии Гайдар 3 млн рублей [Pamfilova Freeze Fund Maria Gaidar 3 million rubles]. Ведомости (in Russian). Vedomosti. 20 July 2015. Archived from the original on 7 August 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
30. ^ "Russian ex-PM's daughter under fire for leaving for Ukraine". AP News. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
31. ^ Жириновский: Верная дочь Гайдара закончит уборщицей на одесском рынке [Zhirinovsky: Faithful daughter of Gaidar will end up as a cleaner in the Odesa market] (in Russian). REN TV. 18 July 2015. Archived from the original on 21 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
32. ^ Мария Гайдар ушла из фонда «Социальный запрос» [Maria Gaidar left the "Social Request" Foundation] (in Russian). RBC. 20 July 2015. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017.
33. ^ Мария Гайдар попала в список БПП на выборах в Одесский облсовет [Maria Gaidar was included in the BPP list in the elections to the Odesa Regional Council] (in Russian). LIGA.net. Archived from the original on 14 August 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
34. ^ "Gaidar Resigns As Acting Deputy Governor Of Odesa Region". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 10 May 2016. Archived from the original on 10 August 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
35. ^ "Maria Gaidar Resigns As Lawmaker In Ukraine's Odesa Region". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 12 June 2018. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
36. ^ "Ukrainian President Appoints Gaidar As Adviser". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 5 April 2017. Archived from the original on 5 April 2017. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
37. ^ Мария Гайдар биография, фото [Maria Gaidar biography, photo]. Uznay Vse! (in Russian). Archived from the original on 19 July 2015.
38. ^ Гайдар, Мария: Российский политик-либерал [Gaidar, Maria: Russian Liberal Politician]. Lenta.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 13 April 2010.
39. ^ a b Konstantin, Eggert (20 July 2022). "Мария Гайдар: "На Рублевке все в большой опасности"" [Maria Gaidar: "Everything is in great danger on Rublevka"]. Deutsche Welle (in Russian). Retrieved 20 August 2023.

## External links

[edit]

* "Russians Must Shed Fear" Interview with Maria Gaidar by Fredo Arias-King 2007, from Demokratizatsiya.