Iryna Venediktova is a Ukrainian politician, lawyer and academic. She was born on September 22, 1978, in Kharkiv. She served as the prosecutor general of Ukraine from March 2020 to July 2022. She happens to be the first woman to hold this office. Iryna was fired by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky from office on July 17, 2022. 

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Her father Semenovych Venediktov was a major general of police, Doctor of Law, professor, and vice-rector of the Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs. Her mother, Mykhailivna Venediktova was a candidate for juridical science, and worked at Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University and the Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs.

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Iryna graduated with honours from Kharkiv National University of Internal Affairs Faculty of Management and Computer Science, majoring in Law and Management in 2022. She worked as a lecturer at the Department of Jurisprudence at Kharkiv Humanitarian Institute of People’s Ukrainian Academy from 2000 to 2004. In 2004 she became an associate professor at the Department of Justice at V.N Karazin Kharkiv National University and from 2005 to 2019 she served as the head of the Department of Civil Law at the same university. She also happens to be the author of 100 scientific and scientific-methodical works published in national and foreign publications.

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Zelensky fired the head of Ukraine’s security agency and the prosecutor general. He cited many cases of treason in the two organizations. He mentioned 651 collaborations and treason cases that have been opened up against law enforcement officials. According to the decree published by the President’s office, Venediktova’s deputy Oleksiy Symonenko was appointed acting prosecutor general. 

President Zelensky said in a video, “Such an array of crimes against the foundations of the national security of the state… pose very serious questions to the relevant heads [of the two organizations]. He also mentioned that more than 60 officials from the two offices were working against Ukraine in Russia-occupied territories. 

Iryna has faced heavy criticism from anti-corruption agencies and the media during her time in office. Since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Venediktova has served as the leader of the investigations into Russian war crimes. She has been accused of tanking cases against high-profile officials and lawmakers suspected of corruption before the invasion, such as the head of the Kyiv District Administrative Court Pavlo Vovk, Zelensky’s deputy chief of staff Tatarov and members of parliament representing Zelensky’s party.