Yevheniy Shevchenko (politician)

Yevheniy Volodymyrovych Shevchenko (Євгеній Володимирович Шевченко; born 4 May 1972) is a Ukrainian politician serving as a People's Deputy of Ukraine from Ukraine's 76th electoral district since 29 August 2019. Elected as a member of Servant of the People, he was expelled from the party after a 2021 meeting with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

Early life and career
Shevchenko graduated from the Classic Private University as a lawyer. Served in the army in Pryluky, Chernihiv Oblast, worked as an electrician on the collective farm. Shevchenko held senior positions in such companies as 'Eurocape New Energy', 'ECE Projektmanagement GmbH', 'Ahrostal' and 'Tsvietmiet'.

Political career
Prior to his 2019 election, Shevchenko had twice led unsuccessful campaigns to become a People's Deputy of Ukraine. In the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election he had gained 1.47% of the votes as an independent candidate in Ukraine's 75th electoral district, located in the city of Zaporizhzhia. Two years later, in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, he was a candidate in Ukraine's 210th electoral district in Pryluky (Chernihiv Oblast) from the Liberty party; this time he gained 0.31% of the vote.

During the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election Shevchenko was a representative of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's campaign. In the parliamentary election held later that year, he was a candidate for People's Deputy from Servant of the People in Ukraine's 76th electoral district, located in Zaporizhzhia. Shevchenko won the election with 43% of the vote; Anatolii Pustovarov of Opposition Bloc placed second with 14.5%. At the time of the election Shevchenko was an independent.

People's Deputy of Ukraine
Shevchenko was inaugurated as a People's Deputy on 29 August 2019. In the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) he joined the Servant of the People faction. He is chair of the Industrial Policy Subcommittee of the Verkhovna Rada Economic Development Committee. He is also head of a parliamentary group for relations with Kazakhstan, as well as a member of similar groups for Azerbaijan, China, Georgia, Iraq, Singapore, and Switzerland.

On 7 March 2022 Shevchenko was detained at a border crossing in Ukraine, in violation of wartime legislation which barred adult males from leaving the country without government permission.

On 21 September 2022 Shevchenko joined the parliamentary group Restoration of Ukraine.

Connections to Belarus
Shevchenko was expelled from the Servant of the People faction on 24 May 2021. Shevchenko's expellation followed an unauthorised meeting he had with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on 20 April of the same year, as well as controversial comments he made on social media in support of Lukashenko following the diversion of Ryanair Flight 4978 a day prior.

In May 2023 chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov stated that Shevchenko had been engaged in secret negotiations with Lukashenko, upon request of the Ukrainian special services. The goal of these negotiations, according to Budanov, was to prevent Belarus "from being dragged into" the Russian invasion of Ukraine.