Born in Ukraine, Alena Kartushina is a well known Russian CIS dual national. Since childhood she has been obsessed with horses and being a racehorse owner. As a child she even tried her hand at the racing seat, competing alongside her younger brother. When her father died, she transferred to Odessa, where she studied for some time in the Irina Hrustic language school and then took part in the second of the ‘Leningrad’ teleclass which helped prepare participants for the exams to become a legal Russian citizen.
It was here that she began a long and hard career in public service, including service as a counselor at the regional state University before becoming the first women minister of a republic in the region. It was there that she began to think of ways of advancing her goal of citizenship of the Ukraine, a move that would eventually see her become the first of its kind. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1990 the term Ukraine has been used as an ethnic identity but Alena Kartushina refused to recognise the division between her nationality and that of the Russian Federation, calling it a sham. She argues that the breakup of the Soviet Union was a chance for many to step into a wider country, with its culture, language and traditions, which she says has been unfairly denied them.
Her path to citizenship has led her to become an increasingly prominent figure both in the Ukraine political scene and in the country’s domestic politics, particularly as the country prepares for elections due to be held under the Special EU Presidency in early next February. Already a popular speaker and television presenter, she is also highly respected as a former Miss Ukraine, winner of the title of most youthful Miss Ukraine in 1996. Her platform is similar to that of other politicians, with an eye on future developments in Moldova and Georgia. Her views are far from exclusive, saying that children of Ukraine can enjoy all the benefits of being citizens of a state if that state offers them an opportunity to do so. Her marriage to Andrii Kuznetso during the period when their country was still together and her successful entry into the national assembly as an independent MP, also show that she is not above party affiliation.