Eduard Yurchenko was born on September 22, 1981. He is an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy and Pedagogy at Ukraine’s National Transportation University. He is a former member of the Ukrainian Party of Regions, a controversial pro-Russian political party that was banned in 2014. He is also the leader of the Orden movement, which has carried out violent acts against the LGBT+ community.
Background
In 2009, he helped found the Ukrainian Traditionalist Club, which was headed by Andrii Voloshyn).“УКРАЇНСЬКИЙ ТРАДИЦІОНАЛІСТИЧНИЙ КЛУБ” [Ukrainian traditionalist club], Rozum, 2009, http://rozum.info/index/0-8. The club has met with the leader of the British National Party Nick GriffinEdward_trad, “Зустріч з депутатом Європарламенту” [Meeting with European Parliament deputies], Edward_trad Live Journal, November 3, 2012, https://edward-trad.livejournal.com/122052.html. and hosted an all-Ukrainian monarchist conference.Edward_trad, “ІІ Всеукраїнська монархічна конференція у Києві (репортаж)” [II All-Urkainian monarchist conference in Kyiv (reportage)], Edward_trad Live Journal, June 9, 2013, https://edward-trad.livejournal.com/tag/український%20традиціоналістичний%20клуб.
In 2011, he attended the youth educational forum MolGorod-2011 in the Russian city of Voronezh, where he led a seminar on establishing a national state in modern-day Ukraine. At the forum, Yurchenko spoke with members of the pro-Russian conservative organization Narodny Sobor (“People’s Cathedral”) and advocated for a “civilized reset of relations with [Ukraine’s] neighboring and kindred" Russian people.”Oleg Novikov, “Россия – Украина: на встречных курсах.” [Russia-Urkaine: on a collison course], Evraziyskiy Soyuz Molodezhi, July 9, 2011, http://rossia3.ru/mer/urchenkovoronej. At the time, he was a member of the Party of Regions.
Since 2019, he has been the leader and ideologue behind the Orden movement, which he calls the “conservative wing” of the National Corps, a right-wing radical organization.Yurchenko, “Перша ідеологічна стаття «Ордену»” [The first ideological article for “Orden”], Telegram, January 14, 2019, https://t.me/EdYurchenko/32. During the snap parliamentary elections in 2019, he was 196“Юрченко Едуард Анатолійович” [Yurchenko Eduard Anatoliiovych], Central Elections Committee, https://www.cvk.gov.ua/pls/vnd2019/wp407pt001f01=919pf7201=16352.html. on the party list for Svoboda, which was in an election bloc-pact with the right-wing groups, National Corps and Right Sector. In the registration data, he is listed as an independent candidate.
Ideology
Yurchenko expresses traditionalist and monarchist views,Orden, “Юрченко: Ідеологія українського монархізму | #OrdenStream” [Yurchenko: Ideology of a Ukrainian monarchism | #OrdenStream], YouTube, January 4, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK7EBHh6uhk&feature=youtu.be. and hosts events in memory of the French King Louis XVI.Yurchenko, “Який стосунок Луї XVI має до сучасної України?” [What does Louis XVI have to do with contemporary Ukraine?], Telegram, January 21, 2019, https://t.me/EdYurchenko/37. He has also hinted at a commitment to national socialism,Yurchenko, “Взагалі-то це я на круглому столі в університеті" [This is actually me at a university roundtable], Telegram, December 17, 2018, https://t.me/EdYurchenko/8. Yurchenko, “Our good friend, a Ukrainian traditionalist philosopher” [Our good friend a Ukrainian traditionalist philosopher], Telegram, September 22, 2019, https://t.me/EdYurchenko/324. Yurchenko, “Був на телеканалі ’НАШ’” [I was on the television channel 'NASH'], Telegram, November 28, 2019, https://t.me/EdYurchenko/422. and attempted to popularize “neo-reactionism” (also called the “Dark Enlightenment” by some),Orden, “Наступне відео з циклу про Неореакцію” [The following video is from a cycle about neo-reactionism], Telegram, December 19, 2019, https://t.me/orden83/241. and the concept of the “archaeo-modern,” developed by Russian conservative philosopher Alexander Dugin.Yurchenko, “Друзі, недавно познайомився з рухом молодих офіцерів СЕNTURIA” [Friends, I recently met with the young officers’ movement SENTURIA], Telegram, January 30, 2019, https://t.me/EdYurchenko/47. Yurchenko, “Багато хто чув, але мало хто бачив — археомодерн!“ [Many have heard but few have seen — archeo-modern!], Telegram, March 19, 2019, https://t.me/EdYurchenko/106. Yurchenko, “За що загинув Максим Чайка?" [Why was Maksym Chaika killed?], Telegram, April 17, 2019, https://t.me/EdYurchenko/149. Yurchenko, “Дуже прошу пощирювати…” [I really beg you to distribute…], Telegram, June 28, 2019, https://t.me/EdYurchenko/240.
Yurchenko also approves of populismOrden, “УВАГА! СТРІМ!” [Warning! Stream!], Telegram, December 7, 2019, https://t.me/orden83/235. and opposes the ratification of the Istanbul Convention.Eduard Yurchenko, “Стамбульська конвенція — лівацький тоталітаризм вже сьогодні.” [The Istanbul Convention is today’s leftist totalitarianism], Telegra.ph, December 16, 2018, https://telegra.ph/left-convention-stop-12-16. He teaches a “traditional family course” at the Ukrainian School of Sexologists, which is part of National Institute of Sexology and Sexual Health.Yurchenko, “А я радий, що зміг долучитись до викладання!” [And I am glad I was able to join for the teaching!], Telegram, December 11, 2019, https://t.me/EdYurchenko/442.
“Traditionalism, or the concept of restoring traditional society, involves a return to those values of the past, to an era when an ethnic nation had the ability to develop organically or, to use the terminology of Dmytro Dontsov, to return to the ‘Spirit of antiquity.’”Eduard Yurchenko, “Націоналізм і Традиція” [Nationalism and Tradition], Telegra.ph, November 26, 2019, https://telegra.ph/nationalism-and-tradition-11-26.
“They want to take away our family by eradicating the natural differences between men and women. They want to deprive us of freedom by the force of totalitarian state coercion, obliging us to give up our right to determine where good and evil are, and the difference between beautiful and ugly. But those who want to force us to fill our heads with shit should not be offended if that shit starts to come out!”Eduard Yurchenko, “Промова біля Кабміну проти гендерних знущань над українцями” [Speech at the Cabinet on gender abuse against Ukrainians], Telegra.ph, December 19, 2018, https://telegra.ph/eduar-speech-12-19.
Related People
Andrii Voloshyn
Alexander Dugin
Related Groups
National Transportation University
Party of Regions
Orden
Ukrainian Traditionalist Club
Narodny Sobor
National Corps
Svoboda
Right Sector
National Institute of Sexology and Sexual Health
British National Party (UK)