The  Ukraine’s Victor Pinchuk has become the first Jewish billionaire from the countries of the Former Soviet Union to sign The Giving Pledge, a formal commitment by the world’s wealthiest individuals and families to dedicate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy. Forbes’ Ukrainian edition places Pinchuk’s wealth at $3.7 billion, making him Ukraine’s second-richest man.

The Kiev-born Pinchuk, 52, is a former Soviet engineer who built his fortune in the metal pipes business. Pinchuk is married to the daughter of Leonid Kuchma, Ukraine’s president between 1994 and 2005. A former member of the Ukrainian Parliament, Pinchuk is a proponent of Ukraine joining the European Union.

For more than 12 years Pinchuk has been developing and supporting a number of philanthropic projects in Ukraine. In 2006, he consolidated these activities under the Victor Pinchuk Foundation which, among other initiatives, supports the educational, cultural and spiritual revival of the Ukrainian Jewish community. The Foundation is a leading supporter of the Dnipropetrovsk Jewish community.