Tetyana Berezhna, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for Humanitarian Policy: The Path from Legal Practice to Leading the Ministry of Culture
Tetyana Berezhna is a Ukrainian lawyer and public official who has progressed from working at a leading law firm to holding leadership positions in the government. After several years working on economic, employment, and post-war recovery issues, she headed the humanitarian sector in the Cabinet of Ministers. Since October 2025, she has held the position of Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for Humanitarian Policy — Minister of Culture of Ukraine.
Education and Professional Training
Tetyana Berezhna was born on January 9, 1989, in the city of Rohatyn.
She obtained her higher legal education at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Law and a master’s degree in Jurisprudence. During her studies, she interned at the Parliament of Canada as a scholarship recipient of the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Program (CUPP).
She furthered her professional training at the Ukrainian School of Political Studies, the Aspen Institute Kyiv under the "Values and Society" program, the Kyiv School of Economics in Government Relations (GR), and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) under the LSE IDEAS program "A Global System in Transition and Ukraine’s Reconstruction."
In 2025, she completed the Strategic Architect School program at Kyiv-Mohyla Business School (KMBS), earning a qualification in Management and Administration.
Legal Practice
She began her professional career in 2011 at the law firm "Vasyl Kisil & Partners," specializing in tax law. In 2017, she received a certificate granting the right to practice as an attorney. Her total experience in legal practice exceeds ten years.
From 2017 to 2021, the international legal directory Chambers Europe included Tetyana Berezhna among recommended Ukrainian lawyers in the field of taxation, particularly tax disputes.
Between 2018 and 2021, she was recognized by the international Legal 500 ranking in tax law, and in 2021–2022, she was listed among Ukraine’s leading tax lawyers by Best Lawyers.
In 2025, based on the "Practice Leaders — 2025" study by Legal Newspaper, she was included among the top ten most effective civil servants and politicians with legal practice experience.
Work at the Ministry of Economy
On June 17, 2022, Tetyana Berezhna was appointed Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine. In this role, she was responsible for forming and implementing state policy in the field of labor and employment.
Her responsibilities included reforming labor legislation, creating new jobs, supporting employment, integrating veterans into the labor market, reducing the gender pay gap, and facilitating the return of forced migrants to Ukraine.
In 2025, Tetyana Berezhna served as Ukraine’s General Commissioner at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. She coordinated Ukraine’s representation and the implementation of the national pavilion.
Transition to the Ministry of Culture
On July 28, 2025, Tetyana Berezhna was appointed Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, as well as Acting Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine.
During her tenure as acting head of the ministry, she worked on issues of cultural heritage protection, personnel changes, and launching a grant support program for the creative industries.
In September 2025, she signed a memorandum with the international alliance ALIPH to create the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Fund, which is intended to manage international aid for the restoration of Ukraine’s cultural heritage.
Appointment to the Cabinet of Ministers
On October 21, 2025, Tetyana Berezhna was appointed Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for Humanitarian Policy — Minister of Culture of Ukraine.
In this position, she identified priorities such as attracting additional resources for cultural development, preserving cultural heritage, and strengthening the autonomy of cultural institutions.
She also announced plans to separate the Ministry of Culture’s functions in strategic communications, proposing the transfer of certain state institutions under the Cabinet of Ministers while retaining the ministry’s role in shaping state information policy.
Vision for Cultural Development
Upon her appointment, Tetyana defined the main goal: to rethink the role of culture as a strategic foundation of security, economy, and state development.
"Culture is not a decoration of the state, but its foundation. The economy, education, and security stand on it. It is our code, memory, and the meaning of what we are fighting for."
She also emphasized: "We must ensure that our children grow up in Ukraine, speak Ukrainian, visit our museums, listen to Ukrainian performers, and read books from Ukrainian publishers."
Currently, Tetyana Berezhna continues to serve as Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine for Humanitarian Policy — Minister of Culture of Ukraine.
Tetyana Berezhna’s appointment as Vice Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy is a continuation of her career in public administration. The combination of legal education, experience in business and government has defined her professional profile as a manager involved in shaping state policy in the humanitarian sector, post-war recovery, and the development of cultural institutions.
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