Maria Barabash

Maria Yuriyivna Barabash (born 25 January 1985, Kyiv) is a Ukrainian volunteer, activist, chairman of the board of the anti-corruption Resistance NGO, chairman of the supervisory board of the Actions First Foundation NGO, co-founder of the Union of Ukrainian Entrepreneurs NGO. She is great-granddaughter of Ivan Demianovych Shevchenko.
Early life
She was born on 25 January 1985 in Kyiv to Ukrainian engineers Tetiana Dmytrivna Barabash (born 27 November 1960) and Yurii Viktorovych Barabash (1961-2022). Her mother studied and worked at the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (speciality — metal physics), and was also engaged in entrepreneurial activity. She lives in Kyiv. Her father studied at Kyiv Polytechnic Institute (foundry) and worked as a driver and head of motor transport departments.
Education
From 1991 to 2002, she studied at the Kyiv Consul Gymnasium No. 86 with advanced study of English.
From 2002 to 2008, she studied at the Faculty of Philosophy of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. She received a bachelor's and master's degree in philosophy with honours.
In 2013, in order to deepen her knowledge of jurisprudence for running her own business, she received a second degree in law at the Institute of Postgraduate Education of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
In 2016, she completed the Values and Society Young Leaders Programme at Aspen Institute Kyiv.
In 2021, she continued her education at the National University of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Times of Crisis programme and the School of Ministers programme at the Serhiy Nyzhnyi Kyiv School of Public Administration.
Career
In 2006, she started working at Capital Strategy (now Rain Partners), an investment company, while still studying at university. She started as an assistant to the head of the company and within 3 years grew to become a junior analyst and coordinator of the company's own magazine.
In 2008, she joined two law firms: first Integrites and then AstapovLawyers (now Eterna Law). She worked as a business development manager and then became a business development director, searching for and attracting new clients around the world.
In 2010, she founded her own company, A7 Group, which until 2018 was engaged in investment consulting, organising more than 100 business conferences around the world and creative branding. The company organised the first Ukrainian Defence and Security Investment Forum in Kyiv in 2016, which was attended by over 150 foreign delegates from 80 countries. The second edition of the forum was held in partnership with the NATO Representation to Ukraine in 2017.
She founded and organised a series of forums around the world called “Invest in Ukraine”
In 2014-2016, she was the head of the working group on investments in Ukraine at the Ukrainian Venture Capital Association (UVCA).
In 2015-2016, she was a consultant on the programme for promoting Ukraine's interests and brand in the world at the NGO Foundation for Support of Reforms in Ukraine.
In 2016, she founded her first NGO, Actions First Foundation, which is currently working in the field of volunteer assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The organisation was active until October 2021.
In 2023, she united activists from 120 cities of Ukraine in the Money for the Armed Forces campaign, demanding 20% of funding for the Defence Forces from local government budgets.
Since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, she has been actively involved in volunteering and organised personal fundraising for more than UAH 3 million to purchase drones, vehicles, equipment and other gear for the 3rd Assault Brigade, 53rd Mechanized Brigade, 141st Infantry Brigade, State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, National Guard of Ukraine and others. as well as for the purchase of 300 leather drums for shelters for UAH 900,000.
Tender for the construction of tennis courts
On 30 August 2023, Barabash posted on her Facebook page information about a UAH 300 million tender by an enterprise of the Ministry of Youth and Sports to renovate tennis courts during the war. According to Maria Barabash, "the Minister of Youth and Sports Vadym Gutzeit should cancel the procurement or resign". On 31 August, after the publicity, the tender was cancelled.
Tender of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine"
Maria Barabash first disclosed information about a UAH 5 million tender for advertising and marketing services, which was won by a company linked to Rostyslav Shurma, former deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak. After the information was made public, the tender was cancelled.
Police report against Ihor Lachenkov and Roman Kravets
On 14 December 2024, Maria Barabash filed a police report against Ihor Lachenkov, whom she accused of making a death threat. According to her, Lachenkov bought the Warshal+ Telegram channel, which already has more than 200,000 subscribers, and began to post threats to anyone who somehow "crossed him". She found out that Kravets earns $2 million a month.<ref name"oboz"/> She also published screenshots of correspondence with the Joker, where Kravets claims that his Telegram channel is "a mafia, a business that kills and is backed by gangsters".<ref name"oboz"/> In addition, the screenshots show that Kravets claimed that Monobank co-founder Oleg Gorokhovsky was helping well-known blogger and volunteer Igor Lachenkov, blogger Mykhailo Lebiha and singer Nadia Dorofeeva "launder money through Monobank".<ref name="oboz"/>

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