Oleh Kotenko Explained

Birth Place:	Kramatorsk, Ukrainian SSR, USSR
Oleh Kotenko
Birth Name:	Oleh Oleksiyovych Kotenko
Birth Date:	24 December 1970
Known For:	Head of the NGO "Patriot Group"

Oleh Oleksiyovych Kotenko (Ukrainian: Оле́г Олексі́йович Коте́нко; born 24 December 1970, in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Obl.^[1]) — public figure, active participant of the Revolution of Dignity, participant of military actions (2014 – 2017, 2022).^[2]

On May 20, 2022, appointed as the Commissioner for the Affairs of Persons Missing under Special Circumstances of the Ministry of Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories.^{[3] [4] [5]}

Biography

Graduated from school in 1988 in Kramatorsk. In 2007, graduated from the Donetsk National University of Economics and Trade named after M. Tugan-Baranovsky, specializing in international economics.^[6]

1995 – 2004 — Vice President of CJSC "Slavyane";

From 2007 – 2011 — Director of LLC "Liga Trade Ukraine";

From 2011 – 2014 — Co-owner of LLC "Nano Comfort Technology";

From 2014 – 2015 — Spokesperson for the National Security and Defense Council.

Awards and Honors

• Awards of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine — Medal "For Assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine", Breastplate "Sign of Honor".
• Award of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
• Awards of the Security Service of Ukraine.
• Decorations of the President of Ukraine for Humanitarian Participation in the Anti-Terrorist Operation.
• Medal "Joint Forces Operation. For courage and loyalty".
• Thanks from US Senator — John McCain.
• Order of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker of the OCU.

Activities

From 2015 – 2022 — head of the NGO "Patriot Group",^{[7] [8] [9]} actively engaged in public activities, with priority areas being:^[10]

• Search for missing military and civilians, exchange and release of hostages in the ATO area and on temporarily occupied territories;
• Search for bodies of the deceased, as well as burials on temporarily occupied territories;
• Providing humanitarian assistance to Ukrainian military along the entire line of demarcation, rehabilitation and assistance to ATO warriors and their families;
• Health improvement and psychological support for children from the ATO zone.

Personal life

Wife — Kotenko Alla Leonidivna, public figure, chief editor of the publication "Patriot Donbas".

They are raising a son and a daughter.

Links

1. -oleksijovych-kotenko/ Oleh Oleksiyovych Kotenko — Ministry for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine (minre.gov.ua).
2. -kotenko-upovnovazenij-z-pitan-osib-zniklih-bezvisti-za-osoblivih-obstavin.html Oleh Kotenko, Commissioner for the Affairs of Persons Missing under Special Circumstances (ukrinform.ua).
3. a-kotenka/ The first 100 days of the Commissioner for Missing Persons Oleh Kotenko — Ministry for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine (minre.gov.ua).
4. Regional coordinators of the Commissioner for Missing Persons will receive assistance from Switzerland — ArmyInform (armyinform.com.ua).
5. Over 4 thousand people are considered missing — Kotenko (suspilne.media).
6. Swiss Peace and Human Rights в X: «Clarifying the fate of 1000s of missing persons is essential for the healing & recovery of Ukraine's society & for accountability. Today, AMB Geissbühler & Commissioner Oleh Kotenko discussed ongoing bilateral cooperation & support to searching/identifying missing. https://t.co/itYPyGsVdn» / X (twitter.com)
7. Swiss Peace and Human Rights в X: «World-class science & innovation unil in service of search & identification of missing persons: AMB Simon Geissbühler w/ Ukraine's Commissioner KotenkoOfficial FDCA_UNIL to learn more abt drone use to identify mass graves & abt DNA analysis. Thanks, cchampod & team! https://t.co/fKJkyA1A6g» / X (twitter.com)
8. All-Ukrainian Council of Churches continues to support families]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Oleh Oleksiyovych Kotenko - Biography, Elections, Factions, Political Agitation PolitHub. www.chesno.org. 2024-03-08. uk.
2. Web site: Олег Котенко, Уповноважений з питань осіб, зниклих безвісти за особливих обставин. Один із перших обмінів тілами загиблих військових між Україною та росією тривав 5 годин, один з останніх — 20 хвилин . ukrinform.ua. 2022-07-06. 2024-03-08. uk.
3. Web site: On the appointment of Kotenko O.O. as the Commissioner for the Affairs of Persons Missing under Special Circumstances. Official web portal of the Ukrainian parliament. 2024-03-08. uk.
4. Web site: Regional coordinators of the Commissioner for Missing Persons to receive assistance from Switzerland. armyinform.com.ua. 2023-06-22. uk.
5. Web site: Перші 100 днів Уповноваженого зі зниклих безвісти Олега Котенка. minre.gov.ua. 2022-10-01. 2024-03-08.
6. Web site: -oleksijovych-kotenko/ Oleh Oleksiyovych Kotenko – Ministry for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine. minre.gov.ua. 2024-03-09.
7. Web site: Volunteer Oleh Kotenko: "After the liberation of Sloviansk, I thought I would no longer deal with hostages, but it turned out this work was just beginning". Government Courier. 2017-09-06. 2024-03-08.
8. Web site: The Cabinet of Ministers appointed the Commissioner for the Affairs of Persons Missing under Special Circumstances. PATRIOT DONBAS. 11 December 2021 . 2024-03-08. uk. 2023-06-22. https://web.archive.org/web/20230622123417/https://donpatriot.news/article/kabmin-priznachiv-upovnovazhenogo-z-pitan-osib-zniklih-bezvisti-za-osoblivih-obstavin.
9. Web site: Пошук зниклих та повернення полонених ГО Група Патріот . 2024-03-19 . ГО "Група Патріот" . uk.
10. Web site: About us. donpatriot.news. 2024-03-08.