By Chris Skeldon 
Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch is a Russian politician, public figure, and philanthropist. He is a deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of the III, IV, V, VI, and VII convocations, and a member of the “United Russia” faction. On top of this, Andrei Skoch is the head of the charitable Foundation Pokolenie (“Generation”) and the founder of the youth movement “New Generation”. A.Skoch has received several honorary state awards for his social and charitable activities.
Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch is a former businessman – until 1999, was a co-owner of the company “Interfin”. Today, Skoch owns 30% of the USM holding. The fortune of Andrei Skoch’s family in 2021 is estimated at $8.8 billion. According to Forbes, Vladimir Skoch also owns a stake in the Vnukovo airport.
Starting a career: Andrei Skoch’s businesses
Andrei Skoch began his career not with politics, but with entrepreneurship in the 1990s. From a young age, Skoch Andrei Vladimirovich felt an interest in entrepreneurial activity and his first business was a bakery cooperative opened in the capital together with his friends. Then the young businessman started creating his projects together with his business partner Lev Kvetnoi. They began selling components for personal computers, and later turned their attention to the oil sector.
Subsequently, Andrei Skoch realized that he saw his future career in politics rather than business and decided to choose a new profession. He left the business world, entrusted his assets to his father Vladimir Nikitovich Skoch, and was nominated for the post of a deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.
Political career
The enterprises of the Interfin company were mostly located in the Belgorod region, so Andrei Skoch often visited the region. When he ran for office for the first time in 1999 in the elections to the State Duma of the third convocation, he chose to represent Belgorod. He received 54% of the votes and won.
Skoch Andrei Vladimirovich has held the post of deputy for more than twenty years. During this time, he put forward more than 150 legislative initiatives, many of which were aimed at the development of spheres such as education and medicine in Russia, many of which were approved by the Russian State Duma. Among them are bills that concern amendments:
- to Article 3 of the Federal Law “On monetary allowances of military personnel and the Provision of Certain Payments” about social support measures which will be provided to actual educators of military personnel;
- to Article 69 of the Federal Law “On Education in the Russian Federation” about what level of higher education is required for getting a second and further education;
In 2000, Andrei Vladimirovich Skoch also headed the Expert Council on metallurgy and mining. After his re-election to the State Duma of the 4th convocation, he joined the “United Russia” party, on whose lists he was nominated in 2007. A few years later, the politician became a member of the Committee on CIS Affairs and Relations with Compatriots.
Activities of Andrei Scoch’s charitable Foundation Pokolenie
The desire to help people, which was passed on to Andrei Skoch from his father, prompted him to take up philanthropy. Thus, in 1996, his international humanitarian foundation “Healthy Generation” was created, whose activity was aimed at helping sick children. Over time, the name of the organization was changed to Pokolenie (Generation), and it began to allocate millions of rubles to support hospitals and clinics, war veterans, university students, aspiring writers, and many others.
The charitable foundation of Skoch Andrei Vladimirovich annually purchases various medicines, wheelchairs, and prosthetics for medical institutions of the Belgorod region. He has also purchased 500 units of medical equipment for over 385 million rubles. In addition, Pokolenie uses part of the expenses of treatment and rehabilitation of patients. From 2015 to 2019, with his financial support, about 30 first-aid stations were opened in the region, and several clinics in Belgorod and Stary Oskol were built and equipped with his funds:
- neuro-orthopedic;
- medical;
- ophthalmologic.
Andrei Skoch’s organization also helps veterans and socially vulnerable citizens, donating more than 5 million rubles annually to 26 councils of veterans and 11 social support organizations.