Mikhail Yezhel
Date of Birth: 19.10.1952
Mikhail Bronislavovich Yezhel
Mikhail Bronislavovich Yezhel is a Ukrainian military officer, reserve admiral of Ukraine, commander of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (2001-2003), the first admiral of independent Ukraine, Minister of Defense of Ukraine (2010-2012), honorary and full ambassador of Ukraine to Belarus (2013-2015).
Place of Birth and Education. Born in the village of Sloboda-Yaltushkovska in the Warsaw district of Vinnytsia Oblast. In 1975 he graduated from the P.Nakhimov Naval Higher School of Radio Engineering and Control Systems for Underwater Guided Missiles. In 1987 he graduated from the A. Gretchko Naval Academy in Leningrad and in 1996 from the Academy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Career. 1975-1976 - Commander of an anti-aircraft missile battery on a destroyer.
All related materials:
- The former Minister of Defense Yezhel was suspected due to the Kharkiv Agreements.
1976-1979 - Commander of the readiness group of a security ship.
1979-1980 - Deputy Commander of a security ship.
1980-1985 - Commander of a security ship of the Pacific Fleet.
1987-1990 - Chief of Staff of a submarine brigade.
1990-1991 - Commander of a submarine brigade.
1991-1993 - Commander of a submarine division of the Pacific Fleet.
From April to August 1993 - Deputy Head of the Marine Office of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
1993-1994 - Deputy Marine Chief for Armament - Head of the Armament and Shipbuilding Department of the Ukrainian Navy (Sevastopol).
From June to October 1996 - Admiral Inspector of the Ukrainian Navy Inspection of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
1996-2001 - Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine - Commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Navy.
1998-2000 - Member of the Commission on Maritime Affairs under the President of Ukraine.
2001-2003 - Commander of the Navy of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Retired in October 2003 - reserve admiral.
From June to December 2007 - Advisor to Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych.
From February 2008 to March 2010 - Chief Inspector of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
Since March 2010 - Minister of Defense of Ukraine. He was retired on February 8, 2012 (on the same day Dmitro Salamatin was appointed).
After the Ministry of Defense, he worked as an advisor to President Yanukovych.
On April 3, 2013, he was appointed by presidential decree as ambassador of Ukraine to Belarus.
On May 11, 2015, he was dismissed as ambassador of Ukraine to Belarus by decree of President Petro Poroshenko.
He has been living in Belarus since May 2015.
Investigation. On March 14, 2016, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine issued a search warrant for Mikhail Yezhel. He is suspected of failing to properly perform his official duties in approving the list of military property of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2011 (paragraph 2, article 367 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code). 'This decision allowed the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine to illegally transfer two heavy strategic bombers Tu-95MS to a company, which resulted in significant consequences in the form of substantial material damage amounting to more than 24 million hryvnias for the state,' the Prosecutor General's Office reported. Since Yezhel is outside the borders of Ukraine, his search is being conducted within the framework of international cooperation by the SBU.
On December 22, 2018, the Solomiansky District Court of Kyiv granted the Prosecutor's Office's request for a detention permit for former Minister of Defense of Ukraine Mikhail Yezhel in case of his entry into Ukraine or on Ukrainian territory.
On August 8, 2022, the DBR informed Yezhel that he is suspected of treason in connection with the Kharkiv Agreements.
Awards. Awarded the Order 'For Service to the Motherland' of the USSR Class III, the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Class III, the badge of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine 'Veteran of Military Service', 'Honorary Weapon', medals 'Bravery and Honor', '10 Years of the Armed Forces of Ukraine', '15 Years of the Armed Forces of Ukraine'.