Maria Gaidar, daughter of the famous ‘shock therapy’ reformer, is appointed Odessa's new deputy governor

Maria Gaidar, a Russian opposition activist and daughter of former Russian Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar, who was famous for spearheading the country's post-Soviet "shock therapy" transition to capitalism, has been appointed deputy governor of Ukraine’s Odessa region. She will be working with new Odessa Governor Mikhail Saakashvili, the former president of Georgia.

Gaidar says she will obtain Ukrainian citizenship, in order to take up her post. She will be primarily responsible for social policy in the region.

Accepting the job, Gaidar said it is “a great honor to be part of this team.” She added that “they do not just want to undertake reforms—they’re already doing it. It’s wonderful to be part of this creative process. I want to be here. I am a Russian and I want to show that Russia and Russians are not just about war, but also about cooperation, friendship, and a common future.”

“She has a fundamental economic and legal education. She is also a representative of a renowned Russian dynasty: Yegor Gaidar, whom I knew personally,” noted Saakashvili.

Maria Gaidar is the daughter of economist and former Russian Prime Minister Yegor Gaidar. She became famous for her participation in a series of anti-government protests in the mid-2000s.

From December 2012 to November 2013, Maria Gaidar worked as a social affairs aide to Moscow Deputy Mayor Leonid Pechatnikov. Earlier, she served as deputy governor of Russia’s Kirov region under Nikita Belykh. She has also headed her own social welfare foundation, Sotsialny Zapros ("Social Demand").

Mikhail Saakashvili, who served as Georgian president from 2004 to 2013, was appointed head of the Odessa Region in late May 2015.