| Yurii Hudymenko | |
| Native Name Lang: | uk |
| Birth Date: | 14 December 1987 |
| Birth Place: | Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine) |
| Occupation: | Politician, journalist, blogger |
| Awards: | Order for Courage 3d class |
Yurii Volodymyrovych Hudymenko (Ukrainian: Юрій Володимирович Гудименко; born 14 December 1987) is a Ukrainian politician. He is leader of the "Demokratychna Sokyra" movement.[1] He participated in the Russo-Ukrainian War as commander of a military engineer detachment with the rank of junior sergeant (corporal).[2]
He had been a political prisoner, journalist and blogger. He holds a master’s degree from the Zaporizhzhia National University in history with teaching qualification.[3]
On September 6, 2022, Yurii was awarded the Order for Courage 3rd class for personal courage in defending state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's decree №627/2022.[4] On September 28, 2022, Yuriy was awarded the Commander-in-Chief's Honor «Steel Cross».[5]
He appeared in videos of anti-war pro-Ukrainian position.
In Spring 2018 he co-founded the Demokratychna Sokyra party, along with other major Ukrainian bloggers and influencers sharing his ideas. The party’s ideology is based on the ideas of classical liberalism, aimed at supporting economic deregulation, strengthening the military and defending human rights (being the only party consistently supporting LGBTQ+ rights, sex workers' rights, and the right to self-defence), combined with a strong pro-European, pro-American, pro-NATO, anti-Russian and anti-communist position.[7]
Ran in the 2020 Kyiv local election as the 1st candidate in the Demokratychna Sokyra list, with Yulia Payevska (Taira) as 2nd.
As a political council member, Gudymenko is responsible for PR and public rallies. Thus, he organised and took part in numerous protest campaigns, bringing public attention to the problems in Ukraine and helped achieve key decisions for the state and the society, such as:
In late 2022, Hudymenko filed a claim with the Office of Prosecutor General, which used it to open criminal proceedings for high treason (p. 111 of the Ukraine Criminal Code), passing it onto the State Bureau of Investigation to investigate all MPs from the pro-Russian OPZZh party parliament fraction.
In January 2023, Hudymenko's petition №22/174786-еп, demanding to introduce clear markings for brands selling products in the Russian Federation reached 30000 signatures.
After the 2022 Russian invasion, Hudymenko enlisted. He served as a military engineer (sapper) unit commander with the 130th Territorial Defense Battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Hudymenko met the Russian invasion of Ukraine in Mariupol, on base of the 503rd Separate Marine Battalion. After joining up with his Territorial Defence unit, Yurii fought in the Battle of Kyiv, particularly in the liberation of Irpin and Bucha, as well as battles in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions.
On June 27, 2022, he was heavily wounded in action in Dementiyivka near Kharkiv. Receiving multiple mine fragments to his left leg, right arm, and lungs, Yurii was evac'd to hospital barely staying alive.[8]
After spending 4 months in the hospital, Hudymenko is still currently recovering, with him regaining his ability to walk (although slowly), and his right arm being still disabled.
On September 6, 2022, Yurii was awarded the Order for Courage 3rd class for personal courage in defending state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's decree №627/2022.[9]
On September 28, 2022, Yuriy was awarded the Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi's Honor «Steel Cross».
According to Forbes Ukraine, Hudymenko is one of the TOP-10 Ukrainian blogger-servicemen by overall followers.
As of March, 2023, Hudymenko's follower count amounts to 340,000 followers across such platforms as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram, and YouTube. Yuriy's posts on history and politics have reached great heights in the past years. His videos from the early stages of the war, especially from February 25, are still remembered in social media.