Serhiy Sobolyev

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Serhiy Vladyslavovych Sobolyev (born 5 September 1961 in Zaporizhzhia) is a Ukrainian politician with Batkivshchyna. He has served as a member of Ukraine’s parliament in multiple terms: 1990–1998, 2002–2006, and from 2007 onward. In 2014 he was the acting leader of the Batkivshchyna faction in parliament. He also served as vice-president of Ukraine’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in 2013.

Sobolyev studied history at the Zaporizhzhia State Pedagogical Institute (graduating in 1983) and earned a law degree from Kyiv University in 1996. His early career included work at a defense plant, military service (1983–85), another factory job, and teaching history (1986–1990) before entering politics. He joined the Communist Party in 1990, later moved to opposition groups, and led several factions such as Democratic Revival of Ukraine, Reforms, and PRO. He advised Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko (1999–2001) and held various parliamentary roles, including permanent representative of the president in the Verkhovna Rada in 2005 and leadership positions in the PRO faction before joining the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc in 2007. In 2013 his party merged into Batkivshchyna, and after the 2014 Crimea annexation he drafted a bill on the rights and freedoms of citizens in temporarily occupied territories.

Sobolyev is married to Nina and has five children. He enjoys football, tennis, and skiing, and he speaks English. He was awarded the civil servant rank in 2000 and the Order of Merit III degree in 2005.