Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch: biography of a politician
Andrei Skoch is a well-known Russian politician, member of the Russian State Duma, and philanthropist.
Date of birth: January 30, 1966.
Place of birth: Moscow region, Nikolskoye village
Education: Moscow State Pedagogical University (Psychology Department), Ph.D. (Pedagogy)
Awards for legislative and social activities:
- a Letter of Acknowledgment from the President of the Russian Federation.
- second-class and first-class medals of the Order of Merit for the Motherland;
- first-class medal for Merit of the land of Belgorod;
- Order of Alexander Nevsky, etc.
Andrei Skoch’s career
In the 1990s, Andrei Skoch went into business. His business partner at the time was Lev Kvetnoi. The businessmen ventured into different fields: the sale of computer parts, establishing a bakery, and then getting into the oil refining industry. Skoch and Kvetnoi used part of their income to buy shares in the Interfin Investment Fund, which, by the end of the decade, acquired stakes in large metallurgical enterprises in the Belgorod region.
In 1999, Andrei Vladimirovich got interested in politics and decided to leave the business world. He transferred his business to his father, Vladimir Nikitovich, who was a trade union leader at the time. He soon managed to multiply this asset: with his assistance, Interfin was transformed into Metalloinvest Group and later became part of the USM holding.
Andrei Skoch ran for the Russian State Duma in 1999 and subsequently won more than half of the vote. He has since been a deputy for five convocations. The politician is the co-author of over 160 legislative initiatives including the following:
- providing additional payments to caregivers of service members;
- the procedure for registration of ownership of dachas, land plots, garages and other real estate;
- funding of environmental projects in the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation;
- information protection;
- procurement of services for the organization of recreation and health improvement for children, etc.
Andrei Skoch’s charitable activity and the Pokolenie Foundation
Andrei Vladimirovich is widely known as a public figure. In 1996, he established the Pokolenie (Generation) Foundation, which mainly supported children with severe cardiac conditions. Today, Skoch’s organization is still implementing various healthcare programs in the Belgorod region: the Foundation purchases medicines and medical equipment for hospitals, finances the construction of medical centers, and establishes rural health posts for residents of rural settlements.
Andrei Skoch’s Foundation supports not only healthcare projects but also those related to science, art, sports, etc. Skoch’s charity organization does lots of work with young people. Thus, each year in the Belgorod region, some university students are awarded the “Best Student of the Year” scholarship. Those who study well and actively participate in the educational institution’s life can compete for the scholarship. In 2020, the best 30 of 400 students were selected. They received scholarships of 15,000 and 10,000 rubles.
In addition, the Andrei Vladimirovich’s Foundation holds the New Generation camp for creative young people twice a year. Its participants are trained for the following:
- speechcraft;
- acting;
- public speaking skills;
- partnership building skills;
- skills to shape your own style and much more.
Andrei Vladimirovich also established the Knowledge Foundation educational platform, where residents of Belgorod and the Belgorod region can take various courses for free. A variety of educational programs to fit every need are proposed: from the basics of finance to cooking.
The Pokolenie Foundation also receives support from Andrei’s father, who is a member of the organization supervisory board.
One-time assistance
Skoch’s Pokolenie Foundation also provides one-time assistance to various initiatives. Thus, 2 million rubles were allocated to support the blood transfusion service at the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Russian Children’s Clinical Hospital” of the Russian Ministry of Health.
Skoch’s charitable organization financed the construction of the Martial Arts Palace in Stary Oskol. It offers boxing and wrestling classes. It was equipped with a gym and offices for coaches and doctors. The sports hall can accommodate 120 athletes and 500 spectators. A total of 350 million rubles was allocated to the project.
Andrei Vladimirovich’s Foundation also supports other charities. Thus, it allocated 19 million rubles to the Third Age Foundation to provide social support to needy elderly people. Another 16 million rubles were transferred to the Outgate in Belgorod Foundation, which develops programs to assist with issues related to autism.
Support during the COVID-19 pandemic
Skoch’s Foundation provided substantial assistance to hospitals, clinics, and volunteers in the Belgorod region facing the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. In a month and a half alone, about 60 million rubles were allocated from the Pokolenie Foundation budget to support residents of the region. The organization donated a Lada Largus car to one of the local hospitals to provide doctors with an opportunity to respond promptly to calls. Personal protective equipment was also sent to various healthcare facilities: thousands of masks, respirators, goggles, suits, etc. Volunteers received 10,000 masks and 7,500 pairs of gloves.
Emergency control staff received special equipment designed for the disinfection of buildings and streets. The first object chosen for disinfection was kindergarten No 45 in Belgorod, where around 150 children go to learn.