The funeral for Konstantin Krasovsky, one of Ukraine’s most internationally prominent specialists on tobacco control and broader public health issues, is on Sept. 23 at 2:40 p.m. in Kyiv’s Baikove Cemetery.
Krasovsky died on Sept. 20, his wife Tatiana Andreeva announced. She said his health deteriorated after he got vaccinated against COVID-19 in May. On June 24, he was hospitalized and diagnosed with an autoimmune disease from which he never recovered. He was 64.
His legacy is secure as an internationally known public health specialist, who fought the tobacco industry with a particular passion, but who also worked to devise policies that reduce society’s consumption of alcohol and drugs.
He authored more than 80 scientific papers and consulted with many organizations, including the World Health Organization, World Bank, Open Society Institute, Advocacy Institute, Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids, and others.
In 2003, Krasovsky received a special award from the WHO for his outstanding contributions to the fight against tobacco. He helped devise legislation to reduce the use of tobacco and tax cigarettes more heavily, one of the best ways to reduce smoking. During his decades of activism, he saw tremendous success in getting Ukrainians to quit smoking or convincing them never to start.
Konstantin Krasovsky (Tatiana Andreeva/Facebook)
As recently as 2018, the Ministry of Health reported that 23% of adults reported use of tobacco products, down from a high of perhaps half of all adults more than a decade earlier.
Moreover, during his career, Ukraine adopted legislation that banned indoor smoking, outlawed most forms of advertising of tobacco products, made health warnings more prominent on cigarette packaging and improved public education of the harmful effects of smoking. Ukraine joined the landmark WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control in 2006.
Still, an estimated 130,000 Ukrainians die prematurely each year from smoking-related illnesses, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids in Washington, D.C. In Ukraine, tobacco is estimated to cause about 30% of all male deaths and 7% of female deaths.
Krasovsky knew that the battle would never end against a multibillion-dollar global industry, which relentlessly devises new ways to addict people to nicotine, including through flavored tobacco and smokeless devices. He authored many opinions on the subject, including a few articles for the Kyiv Post.
Since January 2009, he was head of the Tobacco Control Unit of the Ukrainian Institute for Strategic Studies of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. Since 1995, he also served as director of the Information Center on Alcohol and Drugs in Kyiv.
Other career highlights: In 1994, Krasovsky worked as a research consultant in the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco and Drugs of the European Regional Office of the World Health Organization in Copenhagen; from 2000-2007, he was a coordinator of For Smoke-Free Ukraine, a coalition of public organizations; from 2007-2010, he was a member of the president’s National Council for Health; and, in 2007-2008, he was an employee of the tobacco control program of the WHO Office in Ukraine.
Aside from work, Krasovsky and his wife also had a YouTube channel dedicated to their travels.
Tributes poured in after his death.
Hanna Hopko, a former member of parliament who worked with Krasovsky, wrote that Ukraine will miss his passion, professionalism and “uncompromising advocacy for public health.” She said the nation owes him a great debt for his successes in controlling tobacco.
Joshua Abrams, director of Eurasia Programs for the Washington, D.C.-based Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said that Krasovsky “mentored a whole generation of public health advocates in Ukraine and across Europe, providing a model of integrity, passion, and a fierce intellect for us to follow.” His work, Abrams said, “led to policies in Ukraine (and elsewhere) that are reducing tobacco use, saving lives, and keeping more people healthier.”
Alma Zhylkaidarova, a public health activist from Kazakhstan, called Krasovsky her “first teacher” in how to device public policies to curb tobacco use.
George Bakhturidze, a colleague from Georgia, said Krasovsky generously shared his time and knowledge. “He was a brave defender of health interests in Ukraine and abroad. He has played a historic role in implementing tobacco control measures in Ukraine and worldwide.”
Krzysztof Przewoźniak of Poland called Krasovsky one of the first tobacco control advocates in the former Soviet Union, leading to Ukraine to adopt the WHO Framework Convention for Tobacco Control in 2006. He and his wife “can be also considered as ‘parents’ of new generation of Ukrainian tobacco control advocates, all these wonderful people who have continued their work and pushed Ukraine to leaders of tobacco control in Central and Eastern Europe.”
Aside from his wife, Tatiana, Krasovsky leaves his daughters, Anna and Daria; and his son, Lev.
