Yuriy Yaroslavovych Stets (Ukrainian: Юрій Ярославович Стець; born 29 December 1975) is a Ukrainian journalist and politician.[2] He was appointed to the post of Minister of Information Policy at the formation of the Second Yatsenyuk Government on 2 December 2014.[3] He resigned one year later because he felt he had "met all the targets".[4] He withdrew his letter of resignation on 4 February 2016, and continued in the post.[5] On 31 May 2017 Stets wrote a letter of resignation for health reasons and went on sick leave the same day.[6] Eventually Stets stayed on as Minister until on 29 August 2019 the Honcharuk Government was installed.[1] This government abolished the whole Ministry of Information Policy altogether.[1]
Yuriy Stets was born on 29 December 1975 at Chortkiv, in Ternopil Oblast.[2] He attended the Sydir VorobkevychChernivtsi School of Music from 1992 to 1996.[7] In 2000, he earned a degree in information management from Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute.[7] Stets started his career in journalism in 1990 as a reporter for the Chernivtsi Regional State Television and Radio Company.[7] He them worked for various television channels, including ICTV, a local Chernivtsi-based channel called TBA. He also work for public relations firms.[7] Starting in 2002, Stets served as the chief producer for the Channel 5 television network, which is owned by Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko.[note 1][7]
Stets resigned from the post of Minister of Information Policy on 8 December 2015.[11] He said that he did so because he felt he had "met all the targets".[4] He withdrew this resignation on 4 February 2016, and continued in the post.[5]
On 31 May 2017 Stets wrote a letter of resignation citing health reasons and went on sick leave the same day. Emine Dzhaparova, the first deputy minister, became acting minister.[6]
Eventually Stets stayed on as Minister until on 29 August 2019 the Honcharuk Government was installed.[1] This government abolished the whole Ministry of Information Policy altogether.[1]
Family
Yuriy Stets is married to Yana Konotop, a journalist and political commentator for Channel 5.[7] They have two sons, Vladislav and Serhiy, and a daughter, Eva.[7]
An April 2013 article in the Ukrainian newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda showed the families of Petro Poroshenko and Yuriy Lutsenko attending the baptism of Stets' daughter Eva. Lutsenko became Eva's godfather, and Maryna Poroshenko became her godmother.[12]