Former comedian and parliamentary candidate Serhii Sivokho has been appointed an advisor to the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council on issues of reintegration and restoration of Donbas, Sivokho said in a Facebook post on Oct. 21.
“I start the week in a new position: Advisor to the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council on reintegration and restoration of Donbas. For me, it’s a big responsibility! There is an incredible number of plans! Ahead is a lot of hard and important work,” Sivokho wrote.
The decree on Sivokho’s appointment has not been published on President Volodymyr Zelensky’s website as is customary, but Sivokho is already listed as one of the speakers at Zelensky’s Oct. 29 forum in Mariupol under the mentioned title.
Sivokho’s press secretary told the Kyiv Post that he is unable to answer questions about his new position presently as he is on a working trip in the Donbas.
Sivokho, 50, ran for the Ukrainian Parliament as a lawmaker candidate with Zelensky’s Servant of the People party in the single-member electoral district No. 49 in Donetsk Oblast, close to the frontline. He came third and lost to Valerii Hnatenko, a member of the Russia-friendly Opposition Platform party.
Before running for Parliament, Sivokho was a comedian and a judge on Liga Smekha (“League of Laughter”), a comedy competition that was co-produced and hosted by Zelensky. He has known Zelensky for over 20 years and calls him a friend.
Sivokho was born in the eastern city of Donetsk, a part of the Donbas region occupied by Russian-backed militants since April 2014. He lived there until 2012 before moving to Kyiv.
