He previously served as Ukraine's Minister of Internal Affairs[6][7] from 7 November 2011 until he was suspended from his duties by the Ukrainian parliament on 21 February 2014.

One day prior to his dismissal, he had signed a decree calling for the police to be armed with combat weapons, to be used in their ongoing battles against protesters in Kyiv's Maidan Nezalezhnosti.

[12] President Viktor Yanukovych appointed Zakharchenko as head of the State Tax Administration of Ukraine on 25 December 2010.

[1][2] There is a suspicion that the minister owned the single active golden ore deposit in Muzhievo, Zakarpattia Oblast.

[22] According to Krymedia.ru, on 16 January 2015 Zakharchenko was planning to arrive in Sevastopol for a celebration of establishment of Berkut police anti-riots unit and present his charity fund "Yugo-Vostok" (South-East).