Sviatoslav Vakarchuk

Sviatoslav Ivanovych Vakarchuk was born on 14 May 1975 in Mukachevo, Ukraine, into a family of scientists. His father, Ivan Vakarchuk, was a professor of physics and served as Ukraine's Minister of Education and Science.

Vakarchuk founded the band Okean Elzy ('Ocean of Elza') in 1994 while studying at Lviv University, where he earned a Ph.D. in theoretical physics. The band gained popularity and became one of the most successful musical acts in Ukraine. In December 2013, Okean Elzy performed during the Euromaidan protests, showcasing their support for the movement. The band's 20th anniversary concert in Kyiv's Olympic Stadium in 2014 set a record for attendance, with over 75,000 fans.

In 2024, Okean Elzy released two albums and toured Europe and the US, raising funds for Ukraine during the tour.

Vakarchuk entered politics as an independent candidate in the 2007 parliamentary elections, serving on the parliamentary committee for freedom of speech. He resigned from the Verkhovna Rada in 2008, citing frustration with the political climate. In 2019, he founded the political party Holos and was elected to the Verkhovna Rada, where his party received 5.82% of the vote. He later requested to terminate his parliamentary mandate in June 2020 to focus on extra-parliamentary activities.

Vakarchuk was in a long-term relationship with Lialia Fonariova until 2021, and they raised her daughter together. He is currently in a relationship with Yevheniia Yatsuta, with whom he has two children. Vakarchuk is recognized as one of the 100 most influential people in Ukraine.

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, he joined the Ukrainian army, enlisting in the territorial defense battalion of Lviv Oblast on 7 March 2022.

Vakarchuk has received several accolades, including the title of Merited Artist of Ukraine in 2005, the Vasyl Stus Prize in 2014, and the Order of Liberty of Ukraine in 2016. He was also named an Honorary Citizen of both Lviv and Kyiv in 2015.

Vakarchuk has released nine studio albums with Okean Elzy, including 'Tam, de nas nema' (1998), 'Ya na nebi buv' (2000), and 'Zemlia' (2013), among others. He also released a live acoustic album, 'Tviy format' (2003).