Denis Pushilin | |
---|---|
Head of the Donetsk People's Republic | |
Assumed office 20 November 2018 Acting: 7 September 2018 – 20 November 2018 | |
Prime Minister | Himself (acting) Alexander Ananchenko Vladimir Pashkov (acting) Alexander Ananchenko Vitaliy Khotsenko |
Preceded by | Alexander Zakharchenko Dmitry Trapeznikov (acting) |
Prime Minister of the Donetsk People's Republic Acting | |
In office 7 September 2018 – 18 October 2018 | |
Preceded by | Dmitry Trapeznikov (acting) |
Succeeded by | Alexander Ananchenko |
Chairman of the Donetsk People's Council | |
In office 4 September 2015 – 14 September 2018 | |
Preceded by | Andrei Purgin |
Succeeded by | Olga Makeeva |
Chairman of the Donetsk Supreme Council | |
In office 15 May 2014 – 18 July 2014 | |
Preceded by | Position established |
Succeeded by | Vladimir Makovych (acting) |
Personal details | |
Born | Makiivka, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union | 9 May 1981
Political party | Donetsk Republic (2014–present) United Russia (2021–present) |
Other political affiliations | MMM (2011–2013) |
Spouse(s) | Elena Pushilina |
Children | 2 |
Signature | |
Denis Vladimirovich Pushilin (Russian: Дени́с Влади́мирович Пуши́лин, pronounced [dʲɪˈnʲis vlɐˈdʲimʲɪrəvʲɪtɕ pʊˈʂɨlʲɪn]; Ukrainian: Денис Володимирович Пушилін, romanized: Denys Volodymyrovych Pushylin; born 9 May 1981[1]) is a politician from the Donetsk region who has served as Head of the Donetsk People's Republic since 2018. Prior to his involvement in politics he ran a Ponzi scheme.[2]
He had previously served as Chairman of the People's Council, and became the acting Head of State following the assassination of incumbent Alexander Zakharchenko amidst the conflict in the east Ukraine region.[3] He successfully ran for election to a full term in the 2018 elections.[4]
Early life
Pushilin was born 9 May 1981 in Makiivka, Donetsk Oblast, in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.[5] Pushilin is the son of workers of the Makiivka Metallurgical Factory, Vladimir Pushilin and Valentina Khasanova.[6] He graduated in 1998 from Makiivka Lyceum No. 1, a school combining secondary and professional education. From 1999 to 2000, he served in the National Guard of Ukraine in a special assignment battalion in Crimea.[6] After leaving the military, he studied Enterprise Economics at Donbas National Academy of Civil Engineering and Architecture. He did not receive a degree before moving on to employment.[7] From 2002 to 2006, Pushilin worked for a trading firm, Solodkye Zhittya, or "Sweet Life."[6]
MMM involvement
From 1989 to 1994, a Russian Ponzi scheme called MMM cost its participants millions of dollars prior to disbanding.[8][9][6] In 2011, Sergei Mavrodi launched a new MMM. Pushilin volunteered for this successor company from 2011 to 2013 and became a key leader.[10] The new MMM openly admitted to being a pyramid scheme.[11] Pushilin was not shy in promoting involvement with the company.[12]
The Ministry of Justice of Ukraine allowed registration of the MMM Party under the chairmanship of Mavrodi. It is interpreted as an abbreviation for "We Have One Goal" (Ukrainian: Ми Маємо Мету). Pushilin joined this new party in 2012.[10] Opposing Yanukovych[13] and unknown in the Kyiv region, Pushilin got 0.08% of the votes and failed to win a seat in the December 2013 repeat elections of the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election in the 94th district (located in Obukhiv).[14][15] According to his December 2013 election information, Pushilin was "not working" at the time.[1][7]
Donetsk politics
Early separatist activities
On 5 April 2014, Pushilin led a rally in Donetsk demanding an independence referendum in the vein of Crimea's previous referendum, claiming to be a deputy to the self-proclaimed People's Governor of Donetsk, Pavel Gubarev.[16]
Chairman of the Supreme Council
On 19 May 2014, Pushilin became the Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Donetsk People's Republic, and under the draft constitution adopted on May 15, the new republic's head of state.[17][18] In June of 2014, he announced that DPR businesses which engaged in tax evasion would be nationalized.[19] Pushilin did not envision the Donetsk People's Republic becoming an independent state but preferred to join the Russian Federation (which he saw as a potential renewed Russian Empire).[13]
Pushilin survived two assassination attempts, both occurring within a week on the 7th[20] and 12th[21] of June 2014. Pushilin was in Moscow on those dates, as was widely reported at the time.[22]
Pushilin resigned from his post of the Chairman of the Donetsk People's Republic in July of 2014.[23] From 14 November 2014 to 4 September 2015, he served as a vice-chairman of the Donetsk People's Republic Council then he replaced Andrei Purgin and became the Chairman of the Council once again.[24]
Head of the Donetsk People's Republic
DPR leader Alexander Zakharchenko was assassinated by bombing a restaurant in Donetsk.[3] After a week-long interim leadership by Dmitry Trapeznikov, Pushilin was appointed acting Head of the DPR on 7 September 2018; he was to hold this position until elections on 11 November 2018.[4]
On 21 September 2018, he submitted documents to be registered in the November election.[25] He won with 60.85% of the vote.[26] On 6 December 2021 Pushilin became a member of the Russian ruling party United Russia.[27] United Russia chairman Dmitry Medvedev personally handed him his party ticket during the party's annual congress in Moscow.[27]
On 21 February 2022, Pushilin signed an agreement for friendship, cooperation, and mutual assistance between the Donetsk People's Republic and the Russian Federation. At this ceremony were also signed an agreement between the LPR and Russia, and executive orders by President Putin to officially recognize the independence of the DPR and LPR.[28] At the end of February, Pushilin mobilized troops to aid Russian forces in defending the DPR from Ukraine.[29]
In April 2022, news outlets noted that during Pushilin's visit to Mariupol, he awarded Senior Lieutenant Roman Vorobyov a medal, while he was wearing patches affiliated with neo-Nazism: the Totenkopf used by the 3rd SS Panzer Division, and the valknut.[30][31]
Sanctions
On 29 April 2014, the European Union (EU) placed sanctions on Pushilin, which included assets freeze and ban from entering into EU member states, due to his involvement in the Russian annexation of Crimea. On 20 June 2014, the United States added Pushilin to the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List. He is also included in the sanctions lists of Australia, Canada, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.[32][33][34][35][36]
References
- ^ a b Денис Пушилін: Мажоритарні округи Київська область Округ №94 [Denis Pushylin: Majority districts Kyiv oblast District №94] (in Ukrainian). nbnews.com.ua. 2013. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
- ^ Sauer, Pjotr (24 February 2022). "'Their golden hour': Donetsk and Luhansk leaders revel in rising profile". The Guardian. Moscow. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
- ^ a b "Pro-Russian rebel leader killed in eastern Ukraine blast". The Washington Post. 31 August 2018.
- ^ a b Парламент ДНР сменил исполняющего обязанности главы республики. Meduza (in Russian). Retrieved 7 September 2018.
- ^ "Биография Дениса Пушилина" (in Russian). РИА Новости. 28 August 2014. Archived from the original on 2 September 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2014.
- ^ a b c d Пушилин, Денис Владимирович. ITAR-TASS
- ^ a b (in Ukrainian) Short bio of candidate Pushilin Archived 15 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine, Central Election Commission of Ukraine
- ^ Financial Times, Donetsk governor battles to restore order, by John Reed, 26/27 April 2014, p5.
- ^ Ukrayinska Pravda, Глава уряду самопроголошеної Донецької народної республіки: "Зараз мені ніколи займатися МММ" [The head of government of the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donetsk: "Now I have no time to engage with MMM"], by Екатерина Сергацкова [Ekaterina Sergatskova], 15 April 2014.
- ^ a b "Facenews". Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ^ "MMM Volunteer". Retrieved 27 March 2022.
- ^ Почему Пушилин покинул ряды сепаратистов на Украине?. BBC. 22 July 2014
- ^ a b ""We want to join a Russian Empire:" Discussion with the Leader of the Donetsk People's Republic". Center on Global Interests. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
- ^ Stephanie Höppner (20 April 2014). "Unknown takes separatist spotlight in Ukraine". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
- ^ (in Ukrainian) Results in single-member district 94 in 2013 repeat election, NB News
- ^ "Новый лидер донецких сепаратистов оказался функционером МММ" [The new leader of the Donetsk separatists used to be member of MMM]. Mirror Weekly (in Ukrainian). 6 April 2014.
- ^ "ДОНЕЦКАЯ НАРОДНАЯ РЕСПУБЛИКА КОНСТИТУЦИЯ". Archived from the original on 25 February 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ^ "ДОНЕЦКАЯ НАРОДНАЯ РЕСПУБЛИКА" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ^ "Pushilin: Donetsk enterprises refusing to pay taxes to budget of Donetsk People's Republic will be nationalized". Kyiv Post. Interfax. 14 June 2014. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
- ^ "В Донецке совершено покушение на председателя "Верховного совета ДНР" Пушилина, его помощник убит" [Assassination attempt in Donetsk on the chairman of the "Supreme Council of the DPR" Pushilin, his assistant killed] (in Russian). RBK Ukraine (РБК-Україна ). 7 June 2014.
- ^ "Donetsk. Car Bomb For Head DPR Pushilin. 12 June 2014". YouTube. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ^ Dmitry Tymchuk (14 June 2014). "Dmitry Tymchuk's military blog: No end to Kremlin cynicism". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
- ^ "Денис Пушилин ушел в отставку". Газета.Ru. 18 July 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
- ^ Пушилин возглавил парламент ДНР [Pushilin led DPR parliament astray] (in Russian). Interfax. 4 September 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
- ^ "Денис Пушилин стал первым кандидатом на должность главы ДНР — Россия 24". YouTube. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
- ^ "Donbass elections helped avert chaos after DPR leader's murder, says Russian diplomat". TASS. 15 November 2018. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
- ^ a b Ukraine conflict: Putin invites separatist leaders into his party. The Times (6 December 2021)
- ^ "Signing of documents recognising Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics". 21 February 2022. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ^ "Donetsk People's Republic suspends mobilization - DPR head Pushilin". 28 February 2022. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 3 March 2022.
- ^ "A soldier wearing Nazi imagery was given a medal by a Russia-backed separatist republic for killing Ukrainian 'nationalists'". sports.yahoo.com.
- ^ "A soldier with neo-Nazi symbols on his arm was given a medal by a Russia-backed separatist republic for killing Ukrainian 'nationalists'". Business Insider. 6 April 2022.
- ^ Luhn, Alec (29 April 2014). "Ukraine: EU sanctions list – who's who". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
- ^ "Autonomous Sanctions (Designated Persons and Entities and Declared Persons – Russia and Ukraine) List 2014". Federal Register of Legislation (Australian Government). Retrieved 26 May 2022.
- ^ "Норвегія приєдналася до санкцій ЄС проти росії". Ukrininform (in Ukrainian). 18 March 2022. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
- ^ "Putin's List: Denis Pushilin". Database of Free Russia Forum. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
- ^ "Ukraine-related Designations". U.S. Department of Treasury. 20 June 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
External links
- Media related to Denis Pushilin at Wikimedia Commons
- Quotations related to Denis Pushilin at Wikiquote
- Denis Pushilin official Facebook[dead link]