Irina Berezhna

Career

She was born in 1980 in Voroshylovhrad (present day Luhansk), Ukrainian SSR, USSR. In 2002 Irina Berezhna graduated from the Kiev National Taras Shevchenko University, law faculty, majoring in jurisprudence. In 2009 she graduated from the National Academy for Public Administration under the President of Ukraine with a degree in public administration. After training in her major, as provided by applicable law, in January 2004 she successfully passed the qualification exam, received a licence for notarial activities, and worked as a trainee notary in Kiev. During the training (2000-2002) Berezhna worked as an assistant-consultant of the Chairman of the Subcommittee on legislation, systematization of legislation and its conformity with international law, the Committee on Legal Policy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. In 1999, she opened her first business, a travel agency. In 2004 she became the Deputy Director for Legal Affairs at LLC law firm Astra-Service. In 2008, her notary office received a professional award "European quality" of European Business Association (Oxford, UK). Until November 2007 Irina Berezhnaya was a private notary in Kiev city notarial district.

Scientific and public activities

In July 2007 Berezhna received her PhD in law. She was also the author of several publications on law and notarial practice in the legal and business editions, and was a member of the Ukrainian Bar Association. She worked closely with the Association of Lawyers of Ukraine, the Chamber of Notaries, and the European Business Association. She was also known for her pro-Russian and Eurosceptic views. She was an awardee of all-Ukrainian prize "Woman of the 3rd Millennium".

Verkhovna Rada

In 2007 Berezhna became a MP from the Party of Regions (No. 151 in the electoral list)

In the 2012 parliamentary election Berezhna representing Party of Regions won a constituency seat in Kharkiv Oblast with 41.82% of the votes.

In the 2014 parliamentary election Berezhna did not participate.

Personal life

Berezhna had a daughter Daniella, born in 2009. It is not officially known who the father of Daniella is; although Ukrainian media reports claim it is businessman Boris Fuksman.

Death and burial

Irina Berezhna died on 5 August 2017 in a car accident near the Adriatic coast of Croatia. The driver lost control and the car went off the winding road. Her daughter survived. Ukrainian newspaper "Fakty" with reference to Croatian portal zadarski.slobodnadalmacija.hr informed that the incident took place in a middle of night at 01:30 on a highway between Croatian port village Maslenica and small settlement Posedarje along the bay Novigradsko more. Two others perished in the crash: a female of 37 and a 38-year-old male, a citizen of Bulgaria. A "Mercedes" with a Bulgarian license plate was driving towards Posedarje, but for unknown reasons left the road and ran into a pole. As the result of the road incident, an 8-year-old child that was in the car was injured. The girl was taken to a hospital in the city of Zadar.

On 10 August 2017 in the Refectory Church of the Kiev Cave Monastery a memorial service was held which was attended by a number of politicians and celebrities including Dmytro Dobkin, Nestor Shufrych, Hanna Herman, Davyd Zhvania, Mykola Martynenko, Ihor Huzhva, Olha Freimut, Svetlana Loboda and others. According to Strana.ua Daniella, a daughter of Berezhna, will be fostered by Boris Fuksman. Berezhna was buried the same day at Zvirynets Cemetery.