--- description: Find out how Oleksandr Kubrakov is shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership. title: 2022 TIME100 Next: Oleksandr Kubrakov image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt892fa6f214172c28/698a35cc86f68eea9a6f1a5d/time100-next-oleksandr-kubrakov.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Sep 28, 2022 # Oleksandr Kubrakov by [Vera Bergengruen](/author/vera-bergengruen/) ## Vera Bergengruen Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Metin Aktas—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Metin Aktas—Anadolu Agency/Getty ImagesMetin Aktas—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images Oleksandr Kubrakov [became](https://mtu.gov.ua/en/content/kubrakov-oleksandr-mikolayovich.html "undefined") Ukraine’s Minister of Infrastructure nine months before Russian forces [invaded](https://time.com/6151353/how-to-help-ukraine-people/ "undefined") his country in February of this year. Like many of his fellow Ukrainian officials, the economist and politician quickly adapted his job to wartime. Kubrakov _(above center)_ became a reliable voice on social media as his country plunged into war, regularly updating Ukrainians on damage to airports, roads, railways, and bridges. More recently he has ­spearheaded the country’s efforts with the United Nations–backed [Black Sea Grain Initiative](https://www.un.org/en/black-sea-grain-initiative "undefined"), an agreement meant to stabilize global food markets after the disruptions of Russia’s war on Ukraine, a leading exporter of barley, corn, and wheat. According to U.N. World Food Programme estimates, the conflict has pushed 70 million people globally closer to [starvation](https://www.wfp.org/stories/ukraine-six-months-war-and-humanitarian-response-amid-global-food-crisis "undefined"), making Kubrakov’s work essential. Since July his ministry has shipped more than 3 million tons of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports to vulnerable countries facing food shortages in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. “Allies help Ukraine in the fight against #RussianAggression, Ukraine helps the world fight famine,” Kubrakov tweeted in August. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213906/oleksandr-kubrakov/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213906/oleksandr-kubrakov/"},"headline":"2022 TIME100 Next: Oleksandr Kubrakov","datePublished":"2022-09-28T09:58:42.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T00:06:57.300Z","description":"Find out how Oleksandr Kubrakov is shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership.","url":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213906/oleksandr-kubrakov/","keywords":["TIME 100 Next"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt892fa6f214172c28/698a35cc86f68eea9a6f1a5d/time100-next-oleksandr-kubrakov.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Vera Bergengruen","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/vera-bergengruen/"}],"creator":"Vera Bergengruen","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt892fa6f214172c28/698a35cc86f68eea9a6f1a5d/time100-next-oleksandr-kubrakov.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2022/6213906/oleksandr-kubrakov/","name":"2022 TIME100 Next: Oleksandr Kubrakov"}}]}] ```